Kolkata, Jan. 12 -- The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on fresh interim pleas filed by Trinamool Congress MPs alleging arbitrariness and procedural irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi considered applications moved by Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen in their pending petitions challenging the conduct of the SIR exercise. The court granted the poll panel one week to file a common reply and listed the matter for hearing on January 19.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for O'Brien, told the court that the ECI was issuing instructions to booth-level officers through informal channels such as WhatsApp messages and oral directions during video conferences, instead of formal written orders. He also objected to the introduction of a "logical discrepancies" category of voters, under which electors may be summoned for quasi-judicial hearings without any statutory basis.

While the Election Commission sought two weeks to respond, the court limited the time to one week.

In his application, O'Brien alleged that since the inception of the SIR process, the poll panel has bypassed established procedures, acting arbitrarily. He claimed that the publication of the draft electoral roll on December 16, 2025, worsened the situation, with 58.2 lakh names allegedly deleted without notice or personal hearing.

The plea further alleged that nearly 1.36 crore electors were identified under the "logical discrepancies" category without written guidelines, leading to confusion, long queues and uncertainty over documentation. It also flagged restrictions on political party booth-level agents and hardship faced by senior citizens, persons with disabilities and medically ailing voters. The application has sought an extension of the January 15 deadline for claims and objections and a direction restraining the ECI from issuing instructions through informal channels.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.