Supreme Court Clears Path for SIR, Rejects Interference in Mamata Banerjee’s Plea

February 9, 2026

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that it will not tolerate any kind of “obstruction” in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in states. The court was hearing petitions filed regarding the SIR in West Bengal, including one filed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, challenging the “logical discrepancy” in the way voters were included in the list.

No obstruction to the SIR process is acceptable

The Chief Justice said, “We will issue whatever orders or clarifications are necessary, but we will not allow any obstruction to SIR. All states should understand this.”

Directed to cooperate with the Election Commission

The Supreme Court directed the West Bengal government to provide Group B officers to the Election Commission for SIR work, who will replace the micro-observers appointed by the Commission. The court clarified that only the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) can take the final decision on claims and objections, while micro-observers can only play a supporting role.

Document Verification Deadline Extended

The court directed the deadline for document verification and objections to be extended by at least one week from February 14, the scheduled date for publication of the final voter list.

Also, the Supreme Court directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to file a personal affidavit on the allegations of intimidation and violence raised by the Election Commission.

Last week, Mamata Banerjee herself appeared before the Supreme Court and sought the court’s intervention to “protect democracy.” He alleged that West Bengal was being deliberately targeted and the people of the state were being “crushed” through the SIR process.

The court also heard a public interest litigation filed by Sanatani Sansad, which sought to place the state police under the control of the Election Commission until the publication of the final voter list.

The Election Commission told the court that incidents of violence, intimidation, and interference in SIR-related work in West Bengal had been reported.