West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can create a new history in the Supreme Court. If the court grants permission, she will be the first sitting Chief Minister of the country to argue her own petition. This matter is related to the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process being conducted by the Election Commission, which is related to changes in the voter list of the state. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee has reached the Supreme Court, in view of which heavy security arrangements have already been made.
According to PTI, Mamata Banerjee has demanded in her petition that the entire process of voter list going on in West Bengal should be canceled and the 2026 assembly elections should be conducted only on the basis of the existing voter list of 2025. He says that in the name of SIR, names of a large number of genuine voters can be removed, due to which people’s right to vote can be snatched away.
Chief Minister demanded cancellation of orders
The Chief Minister has demanded to cancel the Election Commission’s orders of 24 June 2025 and 27 October 2025. He has said that conducting investigation on the basis of the old list of 2002 and implementing strict rules is creating problems for the common people. Notices are being sent to people especially in cases like minor mistake in name, difference in age or name of parents.
Voter’s name should not be crossed out wrongly – Court
Mamata Banerjee has also demanded from the court that the hearing in such cases should be stopped and the election officials themselves should look at the records and make improvements. He said that Aadhaar card should be considered a valid document for identification and people should not be asked for additional documents again and again. This matter became more important when recently the Supreme Court had expressed concern over the problems of common people regarding the SIR process in West Bengal. The court had directed the Election Commission that the entire process should be transparent, simple and voter friendly. The court also clearly said that the name of any eligible voter should not be wrongly deleted. The Supreme Court had given instructions to provide assistance to the voters who received notices, to hold hearings at the local level and to simplify the process of submitting documents. Besides, the state administration was also given the responsibility of maintaining law and order.
Mamta Banerjee has studied law
A pass has been issued to enter the Supreme Court in the name of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. There are also indications that she may seek permission from the Chief Justice to speak in the court herself, but the biggest question is whether the law allows this? Mamta Banerjee has studied law and has an LLB degree. But just having LLB is not enough to argue like a lawyer in court. In India, the right to fight a case in court and argue before the judge is determined by the Advocates Act, 1961 and the rules of the Bar Council of India.
What does the law say?
According to law, a person is considered a lawyer only if he is registered with the State Bar Council, has passed the All India Bar Exam (AIBE) and has a Certificate of Practice. Mamata Banerjee has not completed any of these formal processes, hence legally she is not a practicing advocate, but only a law graduate. This clearly means that Mamata Banerjee cannot argue as a lawyer in the Supreme Court. She can be present in the court as a petitioner, watch the proceedings and give instructions to her lawyers, but cannot herself present legal arguments before the judge.
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