Mamata Banerjee to appear before Supreme Court over Bengal SIR plea today, likely to argue the matter herself

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesdaya plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

The matter will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, according to CNBC TV18.

A clearance was sought from the apex court’s security for Banerjee, who is a Z+ protectee, sources were cited as saying by CNN-News18. According to media reports, the Bengal CM had also filed an interlocutory application seeking permission to argue the matter herself.

Banerjee is likely to be present in court during the hearing on a batch of petitions questioning the SIR exercise.

This comes after the Bengal CM walked out of a meeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar during discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, that is underway in her state.

Banerjee accused the CEC of being “arrogant" and working at the behest of the BJP. However, Election Commission officials refuted her claim, saying she left without listening to the response of the poll panel top brass on the issues raised by her. The BJP also hit back at the chief minister, alleging that she was protesting against an “imagined grievance" and enacting a “drama".

She has moved a plea in Supreme Court questioning the validity of the SIR process in the state. Banerjee had filed her petition on January 28, challenging the legality of the ongoing SIR process for the revision of voter lists in West Bengal. In her plea, she has raised objections to the manner in which the revision is being carried out, alleging political bias and an authoritarian approach by the Election Commission.

The TMC supremo, who has been demanding a halt to the voters’ list cleanup exercise in West Bengal, is in Delhi along with SIR-affected families from her state. She reached Delhi on Sunday.

Earlier, TMC leaders, including Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, had moved the apex court, challenging certain aspects of how the SIR is being carried out in West Bengal.