Widespread irregularities in SIR: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee files petition in Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal. The petition alleges that there are widespread irregularities in the SIR process and is seeking immediate intervention from the court. This new petition comes while the Trinamool Congress's existing petition on the same issue is still under consideration by the court.

The Supreme Court had asked the other day if the ECI's power to conduct SIR can be exercised without oversight, noting that the revision of voter lists directly affects the civil rights of citizens. The bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant raised the question while considering petitions challenging the SIR proceedings. The Bench stressed that the SIR process must adhere to the principles of natural justice, be transparent, and reasonable. The court underscored that the SIR process must adhere to the principles of natural justice, ensuring it is transparent and reasonable.

Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered the ECI to publicly display lists of voters flagged for deletion under "logical discrepancy" categories in states such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, providing those individuals time to submit their documents. The Election Commission clarified that citizenship verification is conducted solely for the electoral process and not for deportation purposes. The ECI claimed the process is conducted in a "liberal, soft-touch" manner, aimed at removing "ghost voters" or duplicates.