A Supreme Court hearing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has begun, with some of the country’s most senior lawyers appearing for the petitioners. Senior advocates Shyam Divan, Kapil Sibal, Kalyan Banerjee, and Menaka Guruswamy are representing various petitioners, including the West Bengal government and Trinamool Congress‑linked stakeholders, while senior advocate Jaideep Gupta has also joined the arguments. Senior advocate D. S. Naidu is appearing for the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is defending the SIR exercise that has become a central flashpoint ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the ECI, informed the bench that the interim report of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been submitted, in line with the Court’s earlier directions. She stated that the report details the investigation carried out so far, additional arrests made, and other steps taken by the probe agency in connection with the SIR‑related security incidents and disruptions. The Court is using this interim report, along with earlier submissions, to assess the law‑and‑order, administrative, and electoral‑fairness dimensions of the SIR process in West Bengal.
The Supreme Court has been closely monitoring the SIR rollout since the ECI initiated a large‑scale revision of voter rolls in the state, and the current round of hearings is focused on challenges to the methodology, delays, and alleged irregularities flagged by political parties, officials, and affected voters. With the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for late April 2026, the Court’s scrutiny of the SIR‑linked NIA‑investigation and ECI‑responses is being treated as a key checkpoint to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Key highlights
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Supreme Court hearing on West Bengal SIR of electoral rolls has begun.
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Senior advocates Shyam Divan, Kapil Sibal, Kalyan Banerjee, Menaka Guruswamy appear for petitioners.
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D. S. Naidu appears for Election Commission of India.
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ASG Aishwarya Bhati says interim NIA report on SIR‑linked probes is now before the Court.
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Hearing comes ahead of West Bengal Assembly elections, amid political and legal scrutiny of the SIR process.