‘Allow me, sir’: Mamata argues against SIR in Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: In a dramatic twist to her agitation against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday argued in Supreme Court against the exercise, which she has slammed as a tool of harassment. Election Commission has maintained that SIR is necessary for cleansing the voters’ list.

Banerjee, a law graduate and perhaps the first CM to argue in-person before the apex court, watched for 20 minutes, as SC heard West Bengal counsel Shyam Divan on irregularities in SIR in the state. She was heard telling TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee “bolbo toh aaji (I will speak today)”.




After a couple of abortive attempts to interject during the interaction between the bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, and the EC counsel D S Naidu, she could wait no longer and said, “Sir...allow me sir. Please allow me to finish my point...The SIR process is only for deletion (of voters) and not for inclusion.”

Why do in 3 months what takes 2 years, says Didi on SIR

Arguing against the SIR process in West Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “(Name) mismatch not only in title... (they are deleting names of) daughter (who) after marrying goes to in-laws’ house (address shifting), why she is changing title (categorised as change in name) and using husband’s title is a mismatch.”

CJI Surya Kant said these can never be grounds to delete names. Banerjee replied, “Some daughters who shifted to in-laws’ house, their names (were) deleted. It is all unilateral. People who are transferred or shifted address... they are kept in logical discrepancy (list). They (EC) violated... Can they violate SC order? Bengal people were so happy when SC ordered that Aadhaar card would be one of the documents. But they are not implementing it. They do not allow genuine documents. Only Bengal is targeted.”

Banerjee — accused by BJP of opposing the SIR process to protect Bangladeshi infiltrators who have registered as voters in poll-bound Bengal — argued for the postponement of the revision exercise. “SIR is being conducted after 24 years... What is the hurry? What takes two years, why is it being done in three months. Festival season, harvesting season... when people are not in a mood to stay in the city and (want to) go to their homes, at that time they are issuing notices,” she said.

She also alleged that over 100 people, including BLOs “died due to SIR”. “More than 100 people died, sir. BLOs died and they have written letter saying CEO (state chief electoral officer) is responsible for my suicide. More than 100 people died and so many were hospitalised. West Bengal is (being) harassed. Why not Assam,” she asked.

EC counsel Naidu interrupted Mamata, saying there is no cooperation from the state govt. CJI stopped him and said, “Ma’am has come all the way to say something.”

“Ma’am Mamata, let me clarify a few things to you. About the Aadhaar card, SIR validity issue was argued for more than two months and judgment is reserved. Therefore, we cannot comment about credibility, credential and admissibility to what extent of Aadhaar card. You will also appreciate that the Aadhaar card has its own limitation when you read the statute in that regard. At the same time, issue about its insertion in the Representation of the People Act, what will be its value, we are yet to determine that,” the CJI said.

“Second, you have pointed out the discrepancy part, one solution can be, you depute responsible officers to EC, who can be tasked to verify documents — whether it is a spelling mistake because of translation from Bengali. It must be rectified,” he said.

Mamata alleged that electoral registration officers have no power and they (EC) have superseded the powers of all poll officers.
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