New Delhi, Jan 19 (UNI) Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee on Monday welcomed what he described as a “landmark direction” of the Supreme Court to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the apex court’s intervention had dealt a decisive blow to a “cruel, politically motivated and deeply unjust” exercise.
In a post on his WhatsApp channel, Banerjee said the Supreme Court had issued a series of specific directions aimed at bringing transparency and procedural fairness to the voter verification process, particularly for those flagged under the category of “logical discrepancy”.
“We wholeheartedly welcome the landmark direction of the Supreme Court to the Election Commission. This much-needed intervention has dealt a decisive blow to the cruel, politically motivated and deeply unjust SIR process,” Banerjee said.
According to the TMC leader, the Supreme Court has ordered that the names of voters arbitrarily marked with the vague label of “logical discrepancy” must be publicly published, a move he said would end opacity and arbitrary decision-making. He further said the court has directed that the list of “unmapped voters” be made public, Booth Level Agents (BLA-IIs) be allowed to attend hearings, and the number of hearing venues be significantly increased to ensure accessibility.
Banerjee also said the apex court has permitted Madhyamik (Class 10) admit cards to be accepted as valid identity documents for the purpose of voter verification and mandated that written receipts be issued to every voter who is summoned during the process.
“The Supreme Court has rightly ordered transparency at every stage. The BJP-ECI combine has been exposed,” Banerjee alleged, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of using electoral processes to target Bengal. “This is a judicial slap across the face of the Election Commission,” he added, asserting that “the people of Bengal will deliver an even sharper democratic slap to the BJP at the ballot box.”
The Supreme Court’s directions came while hearing petitions raising concerns over alleged large-scale exclusion and procedural irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in parts of the country, including West Bengal. Petitioners had argued that voters were being flagged or summoned without clear reasons, adequate notice or transparency, potentially disenfranchising eligible electors.
The Election Commission, for its part, has maintained that the SIR is a routine exercise aimed at cleaning electoral rolls and ensuring accuracy, and has denied allegations of bias or political motivation. However, opposition parties, particularly the TMC in West Bengal, have consistently accused the ECI of acting under pressure from the BJP-led Centre.
The issue has added to the already charged political atmosphere in the state, with the TMC projecting the Supreme Court’s intervention as vindication of its stand against what it calls “Bengal-birodhi” policies. Banerjee ended his post with the slogan “#AbarJitbeBangla,” underlining the party’s attempt to turn the court’s directions into a broader political narrative ahead of upcoming electoral battles.
