Supreme Court to hear SIR case today, Mamata Banerjee may appear as lawyer to present her side
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): An important hearing will take place in the Supreme Court today regarding the controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in West Bengal. The hearing will be held on a petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the SIR process.
A key highlight of the hearing is that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself may appear before the Supreme Court to present her arguments. Sources said she could seek permission from the court to argue the case personally.
According to reports, Mamata Banerjee holds a law degree (LLB) and studied law at Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College in Kolkata. She was associated with legal practice until 2003. If the court grants permission, she could become the first sitting Chief Minister in the country to personally argue a case in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission.
Mamata Banerjee filed the petition on January 28, alleging that the SIR process carried out by the Election Commission of India is arbitrary and flawed. The hearing is being seen as crucial for the political future of West Bengal and for ensuring fairness in the upcoming elections.
She may also remain present during hearings on other petitions related to SIR. As per the Supreme Court website, the bench headed by Chief Justice Suryakant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi, will hear three petitions filed by Mostari Banu and Trinamool Congress MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen.
In her petition, Mamata Banerjee has made the Election Commission of India and the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal parties to the case. Earlier, she had written to the Chief Election Commissioner demanding an immediate halt to what she described as an arbitrary and error-ridden SIR process implemented just before elections.
It is noteworthy that on January 19, the Supreme Court had issued directions stating that the SIR process in West Bengal must be completely transparent and should not cause inconvenience to any voter.