Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday said that it would not allow any “impediment” in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in states, Live Law reported. The top court was hearing a group of petitions concerning the West Bengal SIR, including a plea by Mamata Banerjee that, among other issues, challenges the manner in which voters have been categorized in the “logical discrepancy” list.Banerjee’s prolonged confrontation with the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified last week when she personally appeared before the Supreme Court, appealing for its intervention to “protect democracy.”
She questioned the ongoing SIR exercise in the state, alleging that Bengal was being deliberately targeted and that its residents were being “steamrolled” through the revision process.A public interest litigation filed by Sanatani Sangsad, calling for the placement of state police officials under the Election Commission of India until the final electoral roll is published, was also taken up by the bench. In its response, the ECI alleged incidents of violence, intimidation, and interference with SIR-related duties in West Bengal.
