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Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a three-judge Supreme Court Bench, assured West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, lasting successful the beforehand enactment of his crowded courtroom connected Wednesday (February 4, 2026), that the Election Commission of India cannot “run away” from its Constitutional committedness to guarantee that “every azygous genuine citizen” is included successful the electoral rotation during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Also read: West Bengal SIR proceeding highlights
Chief Minister Banerjee, who insisted connected addressing the Bench, said she had lone a “humble request”.
“Sir, prevention democracy,” Ms. Banerjee urged.
In what whitethorn beryllium unprecedented successful the annals of the apical court, a sitting Chief Minister, who filed a writ petition successful her ain idiosyncratic capacity, pushed her mode to the beforehand of the courtroom and requested the Bench to springiness her an accidental to talk for “five minutes”.
“May I explain, Sir?”
“May I explain, Sir? I beryllium to that State,” Ms. Banerjee addressed the Bench. “Is determination immoderate uncertainty astir it, Madam?” Chief Justice Kant assented to her request.
Ms. Banerjee said she had moved the Supreme Court successful her idiosyncratic capableness arsenic a national aft her letters to the Election Commission (EC) arsenic the Chief Minister had received nary reply. She said she had travel to the apex tribunal “when everything is finished, erstwhile we are not getting justness anywhere”.
The Chief Minister said astir 1.4 crore voters successful West Bengal were excluded from the electoral rotation for “logical discrepancies”. About 50% of them were purged owed to insignificant mismatches oregon spelling variations successful their names.
“EC won’t tally away”
“For each occupation determination is simply a solution. We person to look for the solution truthful that nary guiltless national is near out. Every azygous genuine idiosyncratic indispensable stay connected the electoral roll… But whitethorn beryllium due to the fact that of the section dialect oregon owed to the pronunciation, genuine voters are being near out. The EC volition person to find retired the solution. They volition not similar to tally distant from that responsibility. Due to these mistakes, genuine voters indispensable not beryllium excluded,” Chief Justice Kant assured.
Ms. Banerjee recounted however women who had joined and not changed their surnames were ousted from the draught electoral rolls. Minor mismatches successful names oregon surnames similar ‘Roy’ and ‘Ray’ were capable for deletion.
“The SIR is simply a process of deletion and not inclusion,” the Chief Minister said.
At 1 point, the Chief Justice suggested having State officials conversant successful the section dialect to assistance the EC with the names.
“Why Bengal, wherefore not Assam?”
“But, Sir, what was the hurry to behaviour this workout aft astir 20 years erstwhile elections are near? Why are they targeting lone Bengal? Why did they denote this workout erstwhile radical were engaged with the festival and harvest seasons… Sir, much than 100 radical person died, including booth-level officers… Tell maine wherefore Bengal has been targeted, wherefore not Assam?” Ms. Banerjee persisted.
She said documents similar Aadhaar, certificates of domicile, caste and panchayat residence were not accepted arsenic stand-alone impervious of individuality during citizenship verification.
She termed the EC arsenic the “WhatsApp Commission”, alleging the Constitutional assemblage utilized the instant messaging level to pass captious instructions and warnings.
“Such casual connection channels for specified a captious workout strikes astatine the basal of democracy… It is unheard of successful the state since Independence. It reeks of arrogance and is devoid of ineligible legitimacy oregon authenticity,” Ms. Banerjee said.
She said the EC had appointed 8,100 ‘micro-observers’ successful West Bengal to enactment arsenic a “supreme authority” implicit the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). “These micro-observers bulldoze the radical of West Bengal,” Ms. Banerjee said.
Senior advocator Rakesh Dwivedi, interjected for the EC, saying micro-observers were appointed arsenic the State Government had not cooperated with a petition to supply Class-II officers to capable up the ranks of EROs. “They (State) gave america Anganwadi workers instead,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and elder advocator Dama Seshadhiri Naidu said the EC, successful turn, wanted to constituent retired circumstantial instances of hostility from the State Government.
Senior advocator Shyam Divan, representing Ms. Banerjee, on with elder advocator Gopal Sankaranarayanan, for the poet-writer Joy Goswami, said determination were implicit a crore hearings inactive pending up of the February 7 deadline.
“This would mean 15.5 lakh hearings person to beryllium held successful a day. Completing much than 1 crore proceeding earlier February 7 would beryllium virtually impossible, keeping successful caput the logistical challenges,” Mr. Divan submitted.
Issuing announcement connected Ms. Banerjee’s petition, the tribunal scheduled the adjacent proceeding connected February 9.
