Supreme Court SIR hearing LIVE: Didi vs EC 2.0, CJI issues interim directions, data anomalies highlighted

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CJI issues interim directions, grants one-week extension

The CJI issued interim directions to streamline the SIR process and address concerns raised before the court. He directed the West Bengal government to ensure that all 8,555 Group B officers report to district electoral officers by 5 PM. The ECI was given the power to replace EROs or AEROs if needed and use qualified officers after a brief review and short training. The CJI clarified that micro-observers will only assist EROs and cannot take final decisions. Considering the induction of new officials, the court granted EROs one additional week beyond February 14 to complete scrutiny and pass orders.

CJI recalls Mamata Banerjee's assurance on manpower

The CJI said that on February 4, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared before the court and offered to provide competent state government officers after the ECI complained of a manpower shortage. He noted that on February 7, the state informed ECI's senior counsel that it was ready to deploy 8,500 officers for the SIR exercise.

CJI directs police action as burning of forms is alleged

The CJI said the court has asked the state DGP to look into reports of violence and burning of Form 7 papers, adding that the ECI is not helpless. Senior Advocate V V Giri alleged large-scale burning of objection forms and sought more time. ECI counsel D S Naidu said states often defy ECI directions, while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said leaders were instigating violence and a clear message was needed that the Constitution applies to all states.

Shyam Divan alleges mass rejection

Advocate Shyam Divan said voter applications were being rejected based only on Aadhaar or family registers, with general instructions favouring rejection. He said even Aadhaar cards and admit cards were being ignored, and that name mismatches were leading to rejection even when multiple documents were submitted, warning that the process appeared aimed at mass exclusion.

Court clarifies limits of micro-observers' role

Advocate Shyam Divan cited ECI login screenshots to show micro-observers' record agreement with EROs or AEROs. ECI Advocate D S Naidu sought a list of SDM-level officers. The CJI said micro-observers assist the SIR process but cannot take final decisions.

Shyam Divan warns of irreversible exclusions

Advocate Shyam Divan said the February 14 SIR list would be final and irreversible, warning against mass deletion of voters, especially in name-mismatch cases. ECI lawyer D S Naidu sought 48 hours to provide details on IDs, software access, and the suitability of micro-observers. Divan reiterated that voters with only name mismatches cannot be excluded.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi highlights name-based notice errors

Justice Bagchi said the ECI's software was too restrictive, leading to notices in normal cases. He cited examples where Bengali middle names like 'Kumar' or 'Narayan' triggered notices, such as 'Tapan Kumar Roy' being flagged as 'Tapan Roy,' stressing that these were routine name variations.

Data anomalies put forward, SC questions software logic

Advocate D S Naidu said nearly 200 voters were linked to a single parent. Justice Bagchi responded that software-driven assumptions were triggering wide notices and did not reflect real-life age and marriage patterns.

CJI questions seniority, role of micro-observers

The CJI said there was an anomaly in seniority during the process. Advocate D S Naidu said micro-observers only play an advisory role and were given ten days of training. The CJI said final decisions are still pending and added that if officers join soon, their inputs can improve ERO decisions, while Advocate Shyam Divan warned against large-scale deletion of voter names.

CJI assures no obstruction as ECI presses need for adjudicatory officers

The CJI said the court would remove hurdles but would not delay or obstruct the SIR. Senior Advocate D S Naidu said the ECI had sought SDM-level officers as EROs but received only 64, while others were deputed on pay parity, including engineers, who were not trained to pass quasi-judicial orders, adding that clarity was needed on the role of the 8,500 deputed officers.

Manoj Pant outlines ERO structure, Singhvi and ECI differ on Group B shortfall

Former West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant told the court that all 294 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are Group A officers, mostly SDMs or SDOs, with some IAS officers, each having completed nine years of service, and that there are three to four Assistant EROs per constituency, with around 8,500 AEROs currently working, 65 per cent of whom are Group B officers. Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi followed by stating that there are 294 EROs who supervise Group B officers and report upwards within a Group A structure. Responding for the Election Commission, Senior Advocate D S Naidu said the ECI had sought 300 Group B officers but was given only 80, with the remainder drawn from Group C and mixed categories.

CJI questions procedure, Singhvi cites trained local officers

The CJI said claims made before the court on February 4 should have been properly detailed then, stressing that names alone were not enough and formal deputation through district collectors was required, with no confirmation from the ECI. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi responded that by February 4, the state had provided around 80,000 BLOs and over 8,000 Group B EROs, arguing that trained local officers were available while untrained outsiders unfamiliar with Bengal were earlier used as micro-observers.

Name variations form bulk of discrepancies, manpower deployment flagged by CJI

Advocate Shyam Divan pointed out that more than 50 per cent of the nearly 70 lakh cases flagged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) involve minor name variations such as 'Dutta' and 'Datta' or 'Roy' and 'Ray,' as detailed on page four of the note submitted to the court. Responding to concerns over manpower shortages, the Chief Justice of India recalled that the Election Commission had earlier cited a lack of staff, forcing it to rely on external personnel designated as micro-observers. Divan informed the court that the West Bengal government has since deputed additional manpower, with 8,555 Group B officers assigned to assist the process, as stated in a Saturday communication. However, the CJI flagged a procedural issue, stressing that the full names of the officers, along with their official designations, must be clearly specified for valid deputation.

Over 1.36 crore voters flagged in SIR, urgency for relief, says Shyam Divan in Supreme Court

SIR is being conducted, and this process ends on Feb 14. There is tremendous urgency for the reliefs which were sought. Please note that the draft electoral list has 7.08 crore voters. Out of this 6.75 crores are mapped, which means that they were mentioned in the 2002 list or are identifiable with that list. 32 lakhs were unmapped. 1.36 crores were put in the logical discrepancy list, says advocate Shyam Divan in the Supreme Court.

West Bengal SIR plea to be heard by Supreme Court at 2 PM

The Supreme Court will take up the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) plea at 2 PM today. The case will be heard by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi.

Supreme Court seeks EC reply on Mamata Banerjee plea

The Supreme Court will examine today the Election Commission's response to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's plea. The notice was issued earlier by the top court seeking the EC's reply in the last hearing. During the previous hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also asked the Chief Minister to allow her counsel, Shyam Diwan, to present arguments on her behalf.

Mamata Banerjee flagged mass deletions, sought Supreme Court nod to use 2025 rolls

During the last hearing, the Chief Minister claimed that more than 1.36 crore voters had been placed on the “logical discrepancy” list and were at risk of having their names deleted due to what she described as minor and systematic errors. She cited issues such as misspellings in surnames and address changes after marriage, especially affecting women voters. She argued that such errors should not be grounds for removing names from the electoral rolls. Banerjee also raised objections to the Election Commission's appointment of 8,300 micro-observers in West Bengal. She alleged that these officials, whom she described as officers of the central government, were deleting voter names without constitutional authority. Urging the court to intervene, the Chief Minister requested that the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal be conducted using the existing 2025 voter list, rather than a revised list prepared after the SIR process. She warned that lakhs of genuine voters could be excluded if the new list is used.

Supreme Court of India to hear EC response on Mamata Banerjee’s plea

The Supreme Court is set to hear the Election Commission’s response today, Monday, to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s petition challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in the state. Last week, Banerjee appeared in the apex court in an unusual and dramatic moment, personally presenting her arguments against the Election Commission. Speaking emotionally, she urged the court to “save democracy,” alleging large-scale irregularities in the voter revision process.