‘Why Bengal, Not Assam?’ Mamata Banerjee Says SIR Process Only For Deletion, Not Inclusion, Of Voters

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: Concluding her arguments before the Supreme Court as she fought her own case against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee said: “Please protect the people's rights. We are grateful”. 

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee leaves after hearing in the SIR matter in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has concluded the hearing of pleas against the SIR drive in West Bengal.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharply criticised the Election Commission during the Supreme Court hearing, calling it the “WhatsApp Commission.”

She alleged that the commission was responsible for mass deletions of voter names and claimed that Bengal was being unfairly targeted in the ongoing SIR process. “The Election Commission… sorry, the WhatsApp Commission… is doing all this. People’s names are being deleted. Bengal is being targeted,” she told the court.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Election Commission of India in response to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plea challenging the SIR process in the state. The ECI has been asked to file its reply by February 10.

The court also directed the West Bengal government to provide a list of Class 2 officers available for deputation in the revision exercise. Mamata Banerjee told the bench that Bengal was being unfairly targeted and urged the court to intervene to protect the democratic rights of the people.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that the West Bengal government was not cooperating with the SIR process. Officials claimed that the state was deputing lower-level staff, including Class 3 officers and Anganwadi workers, who lacked the authority to verify documents, necessitating the appointment of micro-observers.

Solicitor General of India added that the allegations against the EC were being raised with undue hostility, reiterating that the state authorities were not extending the required support to ensure the proper conduct of the revision process.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Supreme Court that powers traditionally exercised by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs had effectively been sidelined, with “micro-observers” now playing a decisive role in the SIR process. She alleged that around 3,800 such observers, many from BJP-ruled states, had been deployed and were able to recommend deletions from Election Commission offices.

Banerjee claimed that in the first phase alone, nearly 58 lakh names were marked as “declared dead.” She said many women had been removed from the rolls, calling the exercise “anti-women.” She further alleged that domicile certificates and other government-issued documents were not being accepted in many cases.

Responding to the concerns, the Chief Justice of India observed that, if necessary, the court could consider directing that every notice be formally authorised by the Booth Level Officer (BLO), reinforcing accountability in the process. Banerjee maintained that the deletions were being driven primarily by micro-observers rather than local electoral officials.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Supreme Court that the ongoing SIR exercise was effectively being used as a tool for mass deletions rather than genuine verification. She argued that routine life changes were being flagged as “mismatches” or “logical discrepancies.” For instance, she said, when a woman adopts her husband’s surname after marriage or moves to her in-laws’ home, it is marked as a discrepancy. Similarly, people who relocate for work are also being listed under discrepancy mapping, which she claimed is leading to deletions.

Banerjee said residents of Bengal had welcomed the court’s earlier direction to accept documents such as Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates and government housing papers. However, she alleged that despite this, Bengal alone was being singled out ahead of elections.

Questioning the urgency of the exercise, she asked why a process that could have been conducted over two years was compressed into four months. She added that notices were issued during peak harvest and festive seasons, when many people were away from their registered addresses, making it harder for them to respond.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought the court’s permission to speak during the hearing, saying she wished to explain the situation as someone who belongs to the state. The Chief Justice of India acknowledged her request, remarking that there was no doubt about her connection to West Bengal, after which Banerjee thanked the Bench for allowing her to speak.

Banerjee said the issue went beyond legal arguments, adding that she had written six letters to the Election Commission of India but had received no response. She said she was not speaking as a political leader but as an ordinary person, claiming that people were not getting justice and that “justice is crying behind closed doors.”

In response, the CJI noted that the State of West Bengal had already filed a petition and was being represented by some of the country’s senior-most lawyers. He observed that an experienced legal team, including Kapil Sibal, Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Shyam Divan, was assisting the court in the matter.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, told the Supreme Court that more than half of the cases flagged under the “logical discrepancy” category involved minor name variations or spelling mismatches.

He cited examples to illustrate the issue, saying that in one case, the father’s name in the 2002 records included “Kumar” as a middle name, which did not appear in the 2025 record. In another instance, the father’s name “Alauddin Khan” was recorded in Bengali without the “Kh” sound, leading to a discrepancy.

Responding to the submissions, the Chief Justice of India sought clarification, asking whether the issue in such cases was essentially one of spelling differences.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: The Chief Justice of India referred to instances of name mismatches, asking whether the court was dealing with cases where surnames were spelled differently — such as “Datta” and “Dutta,” or “Sharma” and “Sarma.”

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, responded that these were precisely the kinds of real-life examples voters were facing on the ground.

The CJI, however, remarked that directing the withdrawal of notices at this stage would be impractical, as the notices had already been issued.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, told the Supreme Court that notices issued to voters must contain at least a brief explanation so individuals understand why their names have been flagged.

Without a clear reason, he argued, people would be left in the dark about why they were placed on the list.

The Chief Justice of India responded that the concern about informing voters of the reasons was valid. However, he noted that the court had already addressed the manner in which such communication should take place, observing that the published list was not the only form of intimation and that individual notices sent to voters were expected to spell out the reasons.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee submitted that several documents included in the approved list of proofs are allegedly not being accepted during the SIR process.

She also raised objections to what she described as a non-statutory category of “logical discrepancy” being used to issue notices to lakhs of voters. Banerjee urged the court to direct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disclose specific reasons for flagging each voter and issuing notices.

According to her submissions, while notices mention basic details such as the voter’s name, age, and gender, they often only carry the abbreviation “DM”, stated to mean “discrepancy in mapping”, without clearly explaining the nature of the discrepancy.

Bengal SIR Supreme Court Hearing Live: Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan appeared for the West Bengal government, while Senior Advocate Shyam Divan represented Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) matter was taken up in the Supreme Court.

As the hearing began, Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee moved to the front row of the courtroom. Divan informed the bench that a short note had been filed on Banerjee’s behalf seeking urgent directions.

He submitted that the application was in furtherance of the directions issued by the court on January 19, 2026, and requested that it be considered on priority.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: “This court had directed that the logical discrepancy list has to be displayed,” advocate Shyam Diwan told the Supreme Court bench, citing an earlier order.

In its earlier order, the Supreme Court had ordered the ECI to publish lists of voters issued notices for “logical discrepancies” at local administrative offices to ensure transparency.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The Supreme Court has begun hearing a batch of pleas against the SIR exercise in West Bengal. Item 37 is Mamata Banerjee's, the court was told.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Proceedings related to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are likely to be taken up after lunch, after the Supreme Court bench revised its schedule and decided to sit for the entire day.

According to the revised cause list, the sequence of matters in Courtroom C1 has been changed. The bench will now hear item numbers 1 to 5, followed by item 35, then items 6 to 16, and thereafter items 40 and 41. These matters will be taken up first, after which the remaining cases will be heard.

Sources said the Mamata Banerjee-related matter is expected to be listed in the later part of the schedule, making it likely to be heard post-lunch.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Mamata Banerjee may argue her own case against the SIR in the Supreme Court today. She had moved an interlocutory application in the court seeking permission to present arguments in her own case.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The SIR was rolled out in West Bengal on November 4, 2025, and the draft electoral roll was published on December 16. The last date for submission of claims and objections was January 19. The final electoral roll is expected to be published on February 14, but the deadline may be extended, given how the hearings in the Supreme Court go. 

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Visuals of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee meeting advocates in the Supreme Court's corridor ahead of the hearing in the Bengal SIR case.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is not the only one whose plea against the SIR will be heard in the Supreme Court today.

Petitions filed by Mostari Banu and TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen will also be heard today.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The West Bengal chief minister may escalate her ongoing confrontation with the ECI by making arguments in her own case against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.

According to Bar and Bench, she had moved an interlocutory application seeking nod to argue in person in the Supreme Court. If permitted to do so, she will become the first sitting chief minister to personally argue her own case before the Supreme Court.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The Trinamool Congress has outlined the main reliefs sought by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Supreme Court in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Her plea urges that the 2025 voter list be used without introducing fresh changes ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. It also asks the court to ensure that voters are not called for hearings over minor issues such as spelling errors.

The petition seeks directions from the Election Commission to make public the names of around 1.4 crore voters marked as “disputed” and to accept Aadhaar as sufficient proof of identity in cases of discrepancies.

It further calls for a halt to what it describes as mass voter deletions through bulk Form-7 entries and for the withdrawal of 8,100 external micro-observers deployed in West Bengal’s electoral process.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: As she entered the Supreme Court, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was heard telling members of her team, “I shall sit behind, right behind,” suggesting she would take a seat quietly during the proceedings.

Observers also noted a visual detail that drew attention. During her recent meeting with the Election Commission, Banerjee had worn a black shawl, and members of her delegation, including those presented as affected by the SIR process, were similarly dressed. She arrived at the Supreme Court carrying a black stole, a choice some see as symbolically consistent with her earlier appearance.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: 

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is presently in the Supreme Court for the hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the SIR in West Bengal.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: All India Trinamool Congress tweeted, "Standing up for the people, Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reached the Supreme Court. Today will stand as an example before the entire nation and the world. A historic moment. Today, Smt. Mamata Banerjee steps into the courtroom to fight for Bengal. Challenging SIR, she will argue for the rights of the people of Bengal before the country’s highest court.
 

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: During its last hearing on January 12, the Supreme Court issued directions to the ECI to make the SIR more transparent, accessible, and voter-friendly in West Bengal. “See the strain and stress going on for ordinary people. Over one crore people have been issued notices…we are going to pass some orders,” the bench observed.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Senior Advocate Shyam Divan will represent West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He will argue on her behalf in her plea challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Mamata Banerjee is seated inside courtroom 1 at the Supreme Court, Bar and Bench reported on Wednesday. She will be present during the hearing of a batch of pleas against SIR and may also argue her own case, the first sitting CM to do so.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi backed Mamata Banerjee ahead of the Supreme Court hearing of a batch of pleas against the SIR exercise in West Bengal.

“I support what Mamata Banerjee is doing. She is fighting a legal fight from the front. If such arbitrariness of the BJP continues, we will fight the fight - whether it is through an Impeachment Motion or through any legal process...,” Chaturvedi told news agency ANI. She also said that the SIR exercise was conducted in a “one-sided manner” across states.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, has arrived at the Supreme Court ahead of the apex court's hearing on pleas against SIR.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Heavy security was deployed near the entry to the Supreme Court, ahead of the hearing into SIR (Special Intensive Revision) and the appearance of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee before the apex court. The Delhi Police has tightened security in and around the Supreme Court amid Mamata Banerjee's arrival and ahead of the hearing of pleas against the SIR in West Bengal, Bar and Bench reported.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Ahead of the hearing of pleas against the SIR exercise in West Bengal, a look at some key dates in the schedule in Bengal:

November 4, 2025: SIR rolled out

December 16, 2025: Draft electoral roll published

January 19, 2026; Last date for claims and objections

February 14, 2026: Final electoral roll scheduled to be published.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: According to the Supreme Court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi is scheduled to hear the SIR petitions, including those filed by Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, Mostari Banu and Trinamool Congress MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Mamata Banerjee has left her nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's residence to appear before the Supreme Court to attend the hearing of pleas against SIR.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The plea filed by Mamata Banerjee is among the many such petitions filed against the SIR exercise in Bengal. Banerjee has sought the quashing of all SIR-related orders and connected directives issued by the ECI on June 24, 2025, and October 27, 2025.

She also wants the upcoming Assembly polls in Bengal to be conducted based on the 2025 voters' list.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: Sources have said that Mamata Banerjee, who has an LLB degree, is likely to seek permission from Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to argue the SIR case in person. Through her legal team, she has filed an interim application requesting the court’s approval to make submissions directly.

A pass for entry into the Supreme Court premises has also been issued in her name, signalling her expected presence during the hearing.

In her latest interim application, Banerjee said that she is a petitioner in the West Bengal SIR case and is well acquainted with its facts.

She has further affirmed that she is fully aware of the decorum and procedures of the Supreme Court and has undertaken to conduct herself in accordance with established rules and practice.

Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court LIVE: The Supreme Court will hear a batch of petitions, including the one filed by Mamata Banerjee, against the SIR exercise in West Bengal.

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.