Bengal SIR: Trinamool Congress leader moves SC against 'unreasonable' timeline

New Delhi, Jan 6 Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien has moved the Supreme Court seeking urgent directions against the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging large-scale procedural irregularities, arbitrariness and a "wholly unreasonable" timeline in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

In an interlocutory application filed before the top court, O’Brien has sought extension of the January 15 deadline for filing claims and objections, contending that the draft electoral roll published on December 16, 2025, has "substantially aggravated the difficulties faced by eligible and bona fide electors".

The application claimed that nearly 58.2 lakh names were deleted from the draft roll without notice or personal hearing in violation of the statutory procedure and the poll body’s own standard operating procedures.

It added that a sharp decline in the electorate from 7.66 crore voters to 7.08 crore has occurred through "backend, centralised, and software-driven deletions" without meaningful involvement of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).

Raising serious concerns over the issuance of more than 50 instructions through informal channels such as WhatsApp messages and oral directions, the Trinamool leader alleged that the ECI has effectively replaced formal statutory communication with these informal directives.

"The ECI has, in effect, substituted its formal system of statutory communication with what is being informally described at the field level as a ‘WhatsApp Commission’, wherein critical instructions, warnings and consequences of alleged non-compliance are communicated exclusively through messaging platforms," the application stated.

It further alleged that such practices are "devoid of legal legitimacy, authenticity, or any audit trail" and undermine accountability in a process that directly impacts the right to vote.

"The ECI cannot act arbitrarily or capriciously, nor can it substitute legally prescribed procedures with ad hoc or informal mechanisms," the plea said, adding that directions to field officials through messaging platforms have led to administrative confusion and erosion of procedural fairness.

O’Brien has also assailed the introduction of an extra-statutory category termed "logical discrepancies", under which over 1.3 crore voters are allegedly being flagged for hearings without any written order, published guideline or statutory basis.

The application alleged that such discrepancies are being generated through undisclosed algorithms, disproportionately affecting women voters and minorities due to spelling variations and post-marriage surname changes.

Highlighting hardships faced by senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and migrant workers, the plea said the insistence on physical hearings has imposed a disproportionate burden on vulnerable sections.

"Insisting on mandatory physical hearing in such cases risks the disenfranchisement of precisely those citizens most dependent on constitutional protections," it stated.

The application has sought extension of the January 15 deadline for filing claims and objections, a direction to stop issuance of instructions through informal channels, withdrawal of the "logical discrepancy" category, restoration of the exclusive statutory role of EROs, and postponement of the publication of the final electoral roll scheduled for February 14.

The plea cautioned that finalising the electoral roll under the prevailing circumstances would "sacrifice legality, accuracy, and fairness at the altar of speed" and result in "irreversible exclusion of genuine electors without effective remedy".

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