Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s petition against the SIR being conducted by the Election Commission in West Bengal was heard in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, during which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself was present among the lawyers. He himself presented oral arguments in this matter, although senior lawyer Shyam Diwan presented legal arguments on his behalf, after hearing all the parties, the Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing of the case on February 9.
The case was heard by a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi. The Chief Justice said he received information from two of his fellow judges from West Bengal, who explained the process of issuing pass certificates and based on this understanding, the issue was included. Senior advocate Shyam Diwan, who represented CM Mamata Banerjee in the case, said that the court had earlier directed to display the list of logical inconsistencies.
Speaking before the bench, Mamata Banerjee said that she was giving concrete examples and could also show photographs published in leading newspapers. He said that the SIR process is being used only to remove names. Giving examples, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that when a daughter goes to her in-laws’ house after marriage, questions arise as to why she is using her husband’s surname. According to him, the names of many such women have been unilaterally removed from the voter list.
Mamta Banerjee said that the names of poor people who have bought flats or changed their residence are also being removed. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that despite these circumstances, officials are violating the court’s prior directions by terming such cases as ‘wrong mapping’. The Chief Minister told the court that the people of Bengal have got relief after this court’s direction to recognize the Aadhaar card. He said that documents like residence certificate and caste certificate are accepted in other states, but only Bengal is being targeted.
CM Mamata Banerjee told the Supreme Court that she is a resident of this state and thanked the court for expressing her views. He said that when justice is ‘calling behind closed doors’, it seems that justice is not being found anywhere. The Chief Minister told the court that six letters had been written to the Election Commission but there was no result. Describing herself as a bonded labourer, Mamata Banerjee stressed that she is not fighting for any political party but for a broader cause.
Advocate Shyam Dewan urged the Court to consider the brief note of the petitioner and pointed out that only four days are left to complete the process. He said 32 lakh voters are not listed, 1.36 crore names are in the logical discrepancy list and 63 lakh cases are still pending hearing. Diwan also pointed out that 8,300 micro observers have been appointed, which is not a category envisaged under the Constitution. Diwan further said that many approved documents including residence certificate, Aadhar and OBC certificates are being rejected, forcing people to stand in queues for four to five hours.
The CJI, after hearing all the arguments, said that a workable solution could be worked out, he directed that the next hearing would be on Monday, February 9, by which time the State should submit the list of Group B officers who can be relieved and made available. The Chief Justice directed to issue notice on both the petitions. CM Mamata Banerjee urged the court to protect the rights of the public and expressed her gratitude to the bench. The Chief Minister congratulated the bench headed by the Chief Justice for giving the opportunity of debate and urged the Supreme Court to save democracy.
