The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) may file separate applications to raise grievances related to the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the party alleged had impacted Assembly election results.
During the hearing, the apex court also observed that it would seek a report from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court regarding pending appeals filed by claimants seeking inclusion in voter rolls. The Court indicated that it would examine possible measures for an expeditious resolution of the issue.
Senior Advocate Kalyan Banerjee, appearing on behalf of the Trinamool Congress, argued that voter deletions conducted during the SIR exercise had materially affected election outcomes in several constituencies. He cited one constituency where the Trinamool Congress allegedly lost by just 862 votes while nearly 5,000 appeals for inclusion in the electoral roll were still pending.
Representing the Election Commission of India (ECI), counsel submitted that any alleged irregularities in the SIR process could be addressed by the Commission and maintained that disputes concerning election results must be challenged through election petitions.
Responding to this, Banerjee contended that the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision exercise itself would constitute a ground in such election petitions.
The matter has drawn significant political attention amid ongoing debates over electoral transparency and voter roll management in West Bengal.
