SIR-case lawyer’s son & daughter among families divided by judicial scrutiny

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, a senior advocate contesting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) matter in the Supreme Court, has found his family drawn into the scrutiny muddle by the Election Commission of India. His two children — son Sirsanya and daughter Pramiti — has been included on the adjudication list. However, neither of them reportedly received any notice or call for a hearing before the final electoral roll was published on Saturday.

Sirsanya is also a lawyer, and the state govt had appointed him as the senior standing counsel of the Calcutta High Court. "We don't know why my children have been marked under adjudication. Neither my son nor my daughter was called for any SIR hearing, and after publication of the electoral roll, it was found that they are under adjudication. Let's see what is decided at the judicial scrutiny," said Kalyan Banerjee. Earlier, the MP had alleged that the SIR process was not to authenticate voters but to deliberately remove them from the roll, particularly in non-BJP states.


On Wednesday, Aliah University hosted a mass convention on its Park Circus campus, flagging concerns over the protection of voting rights. Several professors of this university and their family members were subjected to adjudication in the electoral roll. Professors, students, and others from different parts of the state participated in the convention.

Saifullah, dean of humanities and languages at Aliah University, rued: "On the 2002 list, my name appeared wrongly as Saimfullah Mondal. Though my forefathers used the title Mondal, I don't do so. I also got my name corrected to Saifullah. But the SIR process dwelt on the 2002 list, and I was summoned for a logical discrepancy. In keeping with the EC's 13-document formula, I produced my Madhyamik certificate and passport, but I came under adjudication. What's my fault? I rectified the error made by them, and I showed the documents asked by them."

Santoshpur resident Sonar Singh lost both her parents when she was a minor, and she was raised at her maternal uncle's house. "I was mapped to my maternal grandfather and submitted his documents. During the hearing, the officials asked for my birth certificate, which I could not produce because I could not find it. Now I am marked under adjudication. If my parents were alive, I would not have to put up with this SIR-inflicted pain of being an orphan," she cried.

Gobra resident Kazi Mohammad Habib is among six family members marked under adjudication. "Only my wife is spared this harassment. But my parents, elder brother, brother and his wife now wait for judicial scrutiny along with me to be certified as legitimate voters, as we are under adjudication. But the reason behind such harassment is not clear to us. I was called for a hearing because my name had the word ‘Kazi' at the end on the 2002 SIR list. During the hearing, I submitted all my documents but that did not satisfy the EC. I am curious to know the reason from the EC," said Habib.