EC Vs Didi On SIR: Mamata Banerjee Will Not Argue Own Case In SC, Advocate To Represent CM
Mamata Banerjee’s legal battle with the Election Commission on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will be heard shortly before the Supreme Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymala Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, will take up the matter. Senior Advocate Shyam Divan will represent the West Bengal Chief Minister during the proceedings.
Banerjee has earlier sought permission to personally argue her own case before the Supreme Court.
As per reports, CM Banerjee, who holds an LLB degree, is likely to seek permission from Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to make submissions in person. She has filed an interim application through her legal team requesting the court’s approval. She reached SC after a pass was issued in her name for entry into the Supreme Court premises.
Hearing before CJI-led bench
A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi will hear a batch of pleas filed by Banerjee, Trinamool Congress MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, and petitioner Mostari Banu. According to CNN News18 sources, Banerjee has filed her petition as a “party in person”.
In her application, Banerjee said she is well acquainted with the facts of the case and aware of the court’s decorum and procedures. She undertook to follow established rules and practices. The application also stated that she is familiar with the ground realities faced by residents during the SIR exercise.
Banerjee earlier said she was “knocking on every door” to protect democracy and brought alleged victims of the SIR exercise before the media.
Why is Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court?
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. She has raised concerns that the ongoing process could result in the deletion of genuine voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Use the 2025 voter list for 2026 polls: One of her main prayers is that the 2026 Assembly elections be conducted strictly on the basis of the existing 2025 electoral rolls. She has urged the court to prevent last-minute changes that may affect eligible voters.
No hearings for spelling errors: Banerjee has asked that cases involving only minor name or spelling mismatches under “Logical Discrepancy” be corrected by officials using existing records, instead of calling voters for hearings.
Make 1.4 crore cases public: She has sought directions to upload details of all “unmapped” and “logical discrepancy” cases on the websites of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and District Electoral Officers (DEO), so the nearly 1.4 crore flagged voters can be tracked transparently.
Aadhaar as valid proof: Her petition asks the court to direct authorities to accept Aadhaar as sufficient proof of identity in such cases, without asking for additional documents.
Stop bulk Form-7 deletions: She has urged the court to ensure that names linked to Form-7 deletion requests are published online and that no bulk deletions take place.
Withdraw micro-observers: Banerjee has also sought the withdrawal of 8,100 external micro-observers from the state’s electoral process.
