Supreme Court extends voter list deadline in West Bengal SIR

The Supreme Court issued a stern directive to all state governments on Monday, declaring that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls cannot be obstructed under any circumstances, while extending the deadline for West Bengal's process amid heated legal challenges.

In a stern directive to all state governments, the Supreme Court declared on Monday that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls cannot be obstructed under any circumstances.

The top court also extended the SIR deadline in West Bengal by one week, shifting it from February 14, amid ongoing legal challenges led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The Supreme Court granted a one-week extension to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for publishing the final voter list in West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, pushing the deadline from February 14.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant took note of allegations in the ECI's counter-affidavit, which accused certain individuals of burning Form 7 objection forms amid opposition to the SIR process. In response, the court issued a show-cause notice to West Bengal's Director General of Police (DGP), directing them to explain measures taken to uphold law and order.

The SIR exercise aims to update voter rolls ahead of upcoming elections, but it has sparked protests and legal challenges over alleged irregularities.

The directive came while the Supreme Court bench was hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, challenging alleged irregularities in the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in the state.

Banerjee argued that voters' names were flagged on the ECI's Logical Discrepancy list over minor issues like dialectical spelling variations, with objection notices issued without explaining reasons. She contended that the process targets deletions rather than inclusions or corrections of errors.

Earlier, Banerjee appeared in person, accusing the ECI of singling out West Bengal. The court, after hearing her and her lawyers, directed the ECI to file its response.