After DMK, West Bengal Congress moves Supreme Court against SIR of electoral rolls

Supreme Court

Days after the state witnessed demonstrations by the ruling Trinamool Congress, the West Bengal unit of the Congress has approached the Supreme Court challenging the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in the state, Bar and Bench reported on Monday.

The petition comes days after the Election Commission began the enumeration phase of the exercise in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, on November 4.

The matter on West Bengal was mentioned before Justice Surya Kant, who is also hearing a similar case related to the electoral rolls revision in Bihar. The counsel for the petitioner requested that the West Bengal case be listed along with the Bihar matter on Tuesday, Bar and Bench reported. The judge agreed to list the matter on Tuesday along with the Bihar case.

The voter list revision in Bihar had been announced by the poll panel in June and completed ahead of the Assembly elections in November. In the final electoral roll published on September 30, at least 47 lakh voters were excluded.

On Friday, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up on November 11 petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out in Bihar and other states.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which has challenged the Bihar SIR, told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi that there is “some urgency” as the exercise has started in other states too and urged it to hear the matter early next week. Appearing for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), advocate Vivek Singh mentioned another petition challenging the SIR and said it seeks an “urgent stay”.