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Mamata Banerjee at Supreme Court: The voter list dispute before the Bengal elections is now at the doorstep of the country’s Supreme Court. Today a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant will hear the petitions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC MPs. The biggest discussion of this hearing is about the possibility of Mamata Banerjee presenting her arguments herself.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can be seen in a new avatar on Wednesday. Mamata Banerjee herself may be present in the Supreme Court as a lawyer during the hearing on the petitions filed against the SIR of the voter list in Bengal. Since the Chief Minister herself has studied law, TMC sources believe that she wants to put the seriousness of the issue before the court by presenting her arguments herself.

The case will be heard by a high-level bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant. This bench also includes Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi. Apart from Mamata Banerjee, TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen and Mostari Bano have also filed petitions against the process, which will be considered in detail by the court today.

What is the SIR controversy and the problem of 1.25 crore names?

At the center of this entire legal dispute is the issue of ‘Special Intensive Revision’ of the voter list. That means SIR. According to sources, names of about 1.25 crore voters in the state have been missing due to ‘logical discrepancy’ Have been put in the list. These discrepancies have mainly come to light during matching of current data with the voter list of 2002.

Some technical examples of these discrepancies are as follows:

• The difference between the age of the voter and his parents being less than 15 years.
• There is a difference of more than 50 years in the age of parents and child.
• Spelling or other identifying discrepancies in parents’ names.
Mamata Banerjee and her party allege that on the basis of these discrepancies, names of a large number of genuine voters can be deleted, which is a threat to democracy.

Serious allegations of Mamta Banerjee and TMC

The Chief Minister had filed his petition on January 28, in which the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal have been made parties. Earlier, he had written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner calling this entire process ‘arbitrary’ and ‘full of flaws’ Told. Mamata Banerjee argues that if the SIR process continues in its current form, a large number of people will be deprived of their franchise, which will be a direct attack on constitutional rights.

At the same time, TMC MP Derek O’Brien has alleged in his petition that the Election Commission is issuing instructions through informal means instead of giving written orders, which shows procedural flaws. TMC demands that the final voter list should not be published until all claims and objections are completely settled.

Previous hearing and court’s stance

Earlier, in the hearing held on January 19, the Supreme Court had issued some strict instructions regarding this process. The court had clarified that the entire process of SIR should be transparent so that the common people do not face any kind of inconvenience. The court had ordered the Election Commission to verify the names of voters whose names were found to have ‘logical discrepancy’ Those who are in the list, their list should be displayed in Gram Panchayat buildings and block offices so that people can register their objections.

Today’s hearing is important in the sense that what stand the court takes after the arguments of Mamata Banerjee and the reply of the Election Commission. If Mamata Banerjee herself cross-examines, it will be a rare and significant event in Indian judicial history and politics. In view of the Bengal Assembly elections 2026, this matter remains very politically sensitive.