Supreme Court to hear plea against SIR today, Bengal Chief Minister to attend the proceedings

On January 19, the top court passed a slew of directions, observing that the SIR process in West Bengal should be transparent and not cause inconvenience.

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New Delhi: In a significant development, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is all set to appear before the Supreme Court today and seek permission to argue her pending petition challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). She has moved an interlocutory application seeking permission to appear and argue in person.

Banerjee will be personally present in court room 1 tomorrow along with her lawyers. A gate pass issued in the Chief Minister’s name confirms her presence in court today. According to the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi is scheduled to hear the petitions, including those filed by Banerjee, Mostari Banu and TMC MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen.

Sources say that the chief minister, who has an LLB degree, may attend court and put forth her submissions. On January 19, the top court passed a slew of directions, observing that the SIR process in West Bengal should be transparent and not cause inconvenience.

It directed the Election Commission (EC) to display the names of those on the “logical discrepancies” list at gram panchayat bhavans and block offices, where documents and objections will also be submitted.

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Logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent’s name and the age difference between a voter and their parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years.

Noting that 1.25 crore voters in the state figure on the “logical discrepancies” list, the CJI-led bench had directed that the offices for submitting documents and objections be set up within the panchayat bhavans or block offices and asked the West Bengal government to provide adequate manpower to the election authorities.

Banerjee had filed her petition on January 28. She has made the EC and the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer parties in the case. Banerjee had earlier written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) urging him to halt the “arbitrary and flawed” SIR in the poll-bound state.

(With PTI Inputs)

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The Times Of Bengal