CM Mamata Banerjee challenges voter roll revision in SC: Key demands explained

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted in the state ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The Trinamool Congress has placed before the court a set of demands aimed at preventing what it describes as large-scale voter disenfranchisement.

What reliefs is Mamata Banerjee seeking?

At the heart of Banerjee’s plea is a request that the 2025 voter list be used without any fresh revisions before the Assembly polls. The petition also urges the court to ensure that voters are not summoned for hearings over minor discrepancies, such as spelling errors in names or clerical issues.

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The plea seeks directions to the Election Commission of India to make public the names of nearly 1.4 crore voters marked as “disputed” during the SIR exercise. It further asks that Aadhaar be accepted as sufficient proof of identity in cases where discrepancies are flagged.

In addition, Banerjee’s petition calls for a halt to what it terms mass deletions of voters through bulk Form-7 entries and seeks the withdrawal of 8,100 external micro-observers deployed in West Bengal, arguing that their presence is unnecessary and disruptive to the electoral process.

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The matter is being heard by the Supreme Court of India as part of a batch of petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision process in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is present inside Courtroom 1 as the bench takes up the cases listed for the day.

Heightened security arrangements are in place outside the court complex, and the hearing is expected to focus on the legality and scope of the SIR exercise ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The Supreme Court’s decision on these demands will determine the future course of the SIR exercise in the state.