Supreme Court To Pleas Related to SIR of Electoral Rolls in West Bengal Today

The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear a batch of pleas pertaining to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal on Monday, April 13. The Apex Court had on April 10 agreed to hear a fresh plea along with pending ones challenging the freezing of electoral rolls by the Election Commission ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal. The poll panel has frozen and finalised the electoral rolls on April 9 for the assembly seats which are going to polls in the first stage. The freezing of electoral rolls means that no new person, who has been deleted, can be added to the voters list for this assembly polls.As per the apex court's cause list of April 13, the pleas would be heard by a bench comprising

Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.Also Read - West Bengal SIR Shake-Up: 27 Lakh Voters Axed — Will BJP & TMC's Fortunes Be Dented Equally?

SIR India's Biggest Scam, Alleges CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls the "country's biggest scam" in recent times. Addressing a rally at Khandaghosh in Purba Bardhaman district, Banerjee said, "The SIR is the biggest scam the country has seen in recent times." "The BJP bribes voters before the elections. But they forget their promises soon after the polling is over. That was seen in the Bihar elections," Banerjee alleged.

TMC Creating Fuss Over SIR Fearing Defeat: BJP

Meanwhile, BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty on Sunday said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal was conducted as per constitutional provisions. He said that the TMC was creating issues over the exercise "fearing defeat" in the West Bengal assembly polls. He said that the process has not violated anyone's rights.Also Read - 'Jitna Rona Hai... Hum Chun Chun Ke Nikaalenge': Amit Shah's Message for 'Mamata Didi' | Times Now Summit

"SIR is not an issue in any other state. It has been undertaken by the Election Commission as per the Constitution. In Tamil Nadu, it was conducted smoothly. There was no problem anywhere else except in West Bengal," he told PTI on the sidelines of a roadshow in Paschim Medinipur district."The TMC government in West Bengal is creating a fuss over SIR as they are afraid of losing due to it," Chakraborty claimed.Both the camps, the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have stepped up campaigning for the high-stakes West Bengal assembly election. Assembly elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29 and votes will be counted on May 4.(With inputs from PTI)