yourcontentcreator - MAMATA IN SUPREME COURT – EC’s SIR UNDER FIRE

 TITLE: MAMATA IN SUPREME COURT – EC’s SIR UNDER FIRE

FORMAT: PRIME-TIME TV NEWS SHOW – STUDIO + PACKAGES + COURTROOM RE-ENACTMENT

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SEGMENT 1 – OPENING HEADLINES
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INT. NEWS STUDIO – MORNING

SUPER: “MAMATA BANERJEE IN SUPREME COURT | SIR HEARING TO BEGIN – KEY FLASHPOINTS”

ANCHOR (V.O.)
Mamata Banerjee… in Courtroom No. 1.
A sitting Chief Minister… ready to argue her own case.
And at the centre of it all – the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Is SIR a clean-up of voter lists… or a political weapon?
Over one crore notices, 58 lakh deletions, and a constitutional clash that now lands in the Supreme Court.

CUT TO:

ANCHOR ON-CAMERA at desk, large video wall behind with split image: 
Left – MAMATA walking into Supreme Court, security cordon.
Right – ELECTION COMMISSION LOGO over a map of West Bengal.

ANCHOR
Good morning, you’re watching our special coverage: 

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC: 
“MAMATA VS EC: SIR IN SUPREME COURT”
“CM IN COURT TODAY | HEARING ON SIR BEGINS”

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is in the Supreme Court today as a crucial hearing begins on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision—SIR—of electoral rolls in Bengal.

She’s not just a petitioner. She’s seeking permission to argue in person, as a citizen, in what her party calls a ‘historic’ moment.

Let’s lay out the key points before the hearing begins.

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SEGMENT 2 – EXPLAINER: WHAT IS SIR?
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INT. STUDIO – TOUCHSCREEN / GRAPHIC WALL

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC: “WHAT IS SIR?” 
Animated map of WEST BENGAL with voter list icons.

ANCHOR (WALKING TO SCREEN)
First, the basics.

1. SIR – SPECIAL INTENSIVE REVISION
   - A detailed, one-time exercise to update and ‘clean’ electoral rolls.
   - In West Bengal, roll-out began on November 4, 2025.
   - Draft rolls published: December 16, 2025.
   - Claims/objections deadline: January 19, 2026.
   - Final roll scheduled: February 14, 2026 – but that could change depending on what the Supreme Court does.

ON-SCREEN: TIMELINE BAR animates: NOV 4 → DEC 16 → JAN 19 → FEB 14

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
Now, why is Bengal’s SIR different – and so explosive?

ON-SCREEN BULLET: “58 LAKH NAMES DELETED (ASDD)”
Subtext: ABSENT / SHIFTED / DEAD / DUPLICATE

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
As per the draft list, about 58 lakh names were deleted in Bengal as ‘absent, shifted, dead or duplicate’—the ASDD category.

Mamata Banerjee says this isn’t just a technical clean-up. She calls it a ‘fight for survival’ for Bengal’s voters.

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SEGMENT 3 – MAMATA’S CASE: KEY ALLEGATIONS
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INT. STUDIO – GRAPHIC: “MAMATA’S PLEA IN SUPREME COURT”

SUPER: “PETITIONER: MAMATA BANERJEE (TMC CHAIRPERSON & CM)”

ANCHOR
Let’s break down what Mamata Banerjee is telling the Supreme Court.

ON-SCREEN: DOCUMENT GRAPHIC – “WRIT PETITION – JAN 28, 2026”
Respondents: Election Commission of India, Chief Electoral Officer (West Bengal)

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
In her writ petition and related applications, Mamata Banerjee has:

1. CHALLENGED THE LEGALITY OF SIR IN BENGAL
   - Argues the exercise violates the Representation of the People Act and election rules.
   - Says informal, off-record instructions were issued to electoral officers.

2. SOUGHT QUASHING OF EC ORDERS
   - Targets specific EC orders on SIR dated June 24, 2025 and October 27, 2025.
   - Wants all directions flowing from those orders set aside, at least for Bengal.

3. ASKED FOR A HALT / MODIFICATION
   - Urges the Court to pause or radically rework the SIR process so that genuine voters are not deleted en masse.

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC: “MAMATA’S CORE ALLEGATIONS”

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
Her core allegations are sharp, and political:

A) AI & DIGITAL ‘WEAPONISATION’

CUT TO: ARCHIVAL CLIP – MAMATA AT PUBLIC RALLY (SAGAR ISLAND)

MAMATA (CLIP) (O.S.)
“We will move the Supreme Court… Artificial Intelligence has been used for deletions… EC is running through WhatsApp. If people’s rights vanish from the electoral list, the ECI will also vanish.”

CUT BACK TO STUDIO.

ANCHOR
She alleges:
   - Artificial Intelligence and opaque digital tools were used to flag and delete voters.
   - Decisions are being relayed ‘on WhatsApp’, bypassing formal procedures.

B) MASS, ARBITRARY DELETIONS

ON-SCREEN BULLETS:
- Elderly, pregnant women, recently hospitalised being summoned to far-off hearing centres.
- Names deleted for:
  • change of surname after marriage
  • shift in address
  • change in spelling / Bengali vs English versions

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
She claims:
   - People marked ‘dead’ are in fact alive and turning up at hearings.
   - Deletions have taken place without proper field verification or signatures of Electoral Registration Officers.
   - District Magistrates’ certificates, SC/OBC certificates are reportedly not being accepted in many cases.

C) HUMAN COST & ‘HARASSMENT’

B-ROLL: Elderly in queues, oxygen cylinders, crowded hearing centres (representational visuals).

ANCHOR (V.O.)
Mamata Banerjee has publicly linked the SIR hearings to human tragedy:
   - Claims “around 70 deaths” due to stress, travel and pressure linked to clearing their names.
   - Mentions BLOs’ families facing pressure, some allegedly suffering strokes or suicides.

BACK TO ANCHOR ON-CAMERA.

ANCHOR
She calls the entire exercise ‘inhumane’ and a ‘struggle for survival’—not just an administrative audit.

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SEGMENT 4 – EC’S COUNTER & SC’S EARLIER OBSERVATIONS
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INT. STUDIO – SPLIT GRAPHIC: “TMC VS EC – TWO NARRATIVES”

ANCHOR
The Election Commission strongly disputes this version.

ON-SCREEN BULLETS: “EC’S POSITION”

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
According to filings and public statements:
   - SIR is described as a **routine, nationwide** exercise to ensure accurate rolls.
   - Deletions of ASDD voters are said to follow the law and prescribed formats.
   - Allegations of bias or political motive are dismissed as baseless.

But in the Supreme Court, the clash has gone beyond Bengal’s voter lists.

ON-SCREEN: AFFIDAVIT GRAPHIC – “EC TO SUPREME COURT”

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
In a sharply worded affidavit, the EC alleges:
   - Mamata Banerjee’s public remarks are **interfering** with the SIR.
   - Her statements are creating a **hostile atmosphere** for poll officials on the ground.
   - Micro-observers and staff have faced **threats, intimidation and resistance**.

CUT TO: SHORT CLIP FROM LEGAL EXPLAINER (V.O. SUMMARISED)

REPORTER (V.O.)
The Commission says this is no longer routine political criticism, but disruption of election work.

BACK TO STUDIO.

ANCHOR
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has already flagged concerns on both sides.

ON-SCREEN QUOTE: From earlier hearing (JANUARY 12, 2026)

TEXT ON SCREEN:
“See the strain and stress on ordinary people. Over one crore people have been issued notices… we are going to pass some orders.”
– Bench led by CJI Surya Kant

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
The Court has told the EC:
   - Make SIR more **transparent**, **accessible** and **voter-friendly**.
   - Ensure genuine voters are not lost in what is, on paper, a clean-up of the rolls.

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SEGMENT 5 – TODAY’S HEARING: WHAT’S ON THE TABLE
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INT. STUDIO – DAY OF HEARING

SUPER: “LIVE: SC BENCH TO HEAR SIR PLEAS”

GRAPHIC: BENCH COMPOSITION
- CJI SURYA KANT
- JUSTICE JOYMALYA BAGCHI
- JUSTICE VIPUL M. PANCHOLI

ANCHOR
Let’s spell out what the Supreme Court is expected to take up today.

ON-SCREEN LIST: “PETITIONS IN FOCUS”

ANCHOR (CONT’D)

1. MAMATA BANERJEE’S PLEA
   - Filed in her capacity as Trinamool chairperson.
   - Challenges the legal basis and procedure of SIR in West Bengal.
   - Seeks to quash EC’s SIR-related orders and directions.
   - Interlocutory plea asking to **appear and argue in person**.

2. CONNECTED PETITIONS
   - Petitions by:
     • MOSTARI BANU (individual voter)
     • TMC MPs DEREK O’BRIEN & DOLA SEN
   - Raise issues of:
     • wrongful deletions
     • lack of adequate notice and hearing
     • fear of mass disenfranchisement before the 2026 Assembly polls.

3. RELIEF SOUGHT (LIKELY)
   - Immediate safeguards to protect genuine voters.
   - Possible temporary freeze, re-verification, or phased approach to deletions.
   - Directions to simplify hearings and communication to affected citizens.

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SEGMENT 6 – SCENE: COURTROOM RE-ENACTMENT
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INT. SUPREME COURT – COURTROOM NO. 1 – RE-ENACTMENT

CAMERA: Wide shot – packed courtroom, lawyers, media in the visitors’ gallery.

SUPER: “DRAMATISED RECONSTRUCTION – BASED ON PLEADINGS & REPORTS”

The three-judge bench takes their seats. A hush falls.

COURT MASTER
Item No. __, batch matters… Mamata Banerjee and others versus Election Commission of India and others.

CUT TO: Mamata Banerjee seated in the front row, flanked by senior advocates. A separate pass on the table marks her as “Party-in-Person – Application Pending”.

CJI SURYA KANT
We are informed that the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms Mamata Banerjee, has moved an application to appear and argue in person. Ms Banerjee, you wish to be heard?

MAMATA BANERJEE (RISING – CALM, FORMAL)
My Lords, I am before this Court as a citizen. This is about the right to vote for the people of my state. If Your Lordships permit, I wish to make brief submissions, in addition to my learned counsel.

CJI SURYA KANT
Very well. We will hear you after your counsel has laid out the legal foundation. We are primarily concerned with the legality of the SIR process and the safeguards for voters.

CUT TO: COUNSEL FOR PETITIONERS at the lectern.

PETITIONERS’ SENIOR COUNSEL
My Lords, at the heart of this matter are three propositions:

One, the SIR in West Bengal has departed from the statutory scheme under the Representation of the People Act and the Registration of Electors Rules.

Two, it has resulted in the arbitrary deletion of lakhs of genuine voters, without meaningful opportunity to be heard.

Three, this is happening in a politically charged context, months before Assembly elections, in a manner that shakes public faith in both the Election Commission and the electoral roll.

He gestures to a compiled volume.

PETITIONERS’ SENIOR COUNSEL (CONT’D)
This volume demonstrates: 58 lakh names deleted as ASDD; over one crore notices; hearing centres functioning without basic facilities, compelling the elderly, the infirm, even pregnant women to travel long distances.

JUSTICE BAGCHI
We have already expressed concern about the ‘strain and stress’ on ordinary people. Show us how, in your submission, this crosses the line from hardship into illegality.

PETITIONERS’ SENIOR COUNSEL
My Lord, in multiple districts:
   - Deletions are based on unverified digital lists.
   - Electoral Registration Officers’ recommendations are missing or merely rubber-stamped.
   - BLO reports have been overridden by bulk computer-generated flags, sometimes using AI-based name and address matching.

There is no individualized application of mind, which is the essence of any quasi-judicial exercise involving civil rights.

CUT TO: COUNSEL FOR ELECTION COMMISSION.

EC’S COUNSEL
My Lords, these allegations are exaggerated and often politically motivated. SIR is not unique to West Bengal. It is part of a countrywide drive to ensure purity of the rolls.

JUSTICE PANCHOLI
But the scale of deletions and the volume of notices here is not routine.

EC’S COUNSEL
We accept, My Lord, that the numbers are large. That is because the underlying issues—migration, duplication, deaths not recorded—are also large. Each deletion is traceable to an entry under the rules.

If there have been lapses at the local level, they can be cured through the existing mechanism of claims and objections. A judicial halt to SIR at this stage could disrupt elections and deprive other citizens of accurate rolls.

CJI SURYA KANT
We are not here to run the Election Commission. But we are duty-bound to ensure that the right to vote is not rendered illusory by an opaque process. We will need clear data:

   - District-wise break-up of deletions.
   - Basis for classifying voters as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate.
   - Steps taken for public notice and for assisting vulnerable groups.

We will also hear Ms Banerjee briefly on the ground realities.

CUT TO: MAMATA at the lectern.

MAMATA BANERJEE
My Lords, I will speak only of what I have seen with my own eyes.

In my state today:
   - People on oxygen support are being carried to hearing centres.
   - Women whose surnames changed after marriage are suddenly told they do not exist on the voter list.
   - Workers who migrated for jobs return to find that, according to SIR, they are ‘dead’.

If this continues, lakhs will lose their right to vote before they even understand what has happened. I am not against revision. I am against using technology and procedure to silence the poor.

She pauses, then adds:

MAMATA BANERJEE (CONT’D)
I request this Court: please ensure that no genuine voter loses the right to vote because of a hurried, inhuman process.

The bench listens, taking notes.

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SEGMENT 7 – POLITICAL & CONSTITUTIONAL STAKES
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INT. STUDIO – ANALYSIS ZONE

SUPER: “IMPLICATIONS BEYOND BENGAL”

ANCHOR
This is not just Mamata Banerjee versus the Election Commission. The Supreme Court is looking at deeper questions.

ON-SCREEN KEY QUESTIONS:
1. How far can a Chief Minister go in publicly attacking an ongoing electoral exercise without crossing into ‘interference’?
2. How far can the Election Commission go in mass deletions while still protecting the right to vote?
3. What transparency, notice and appeal safeguards must accompany technology-driven revision of rolls?

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
Depending on how the Court proceeds:
   - A strong endorsement of EC’s powers could **reinforce** its authority and curb political rhetoric that undermines officials.
   - Tough directions on transparency and safeguards could **tighten** how SIR-type exercises are run across India, not just in Bengal.

And remember, this is unfolding alongside another high-stakes case—where the Enforcement Directorate is seeking a CBI probe into alleged interference by Mamata Banerjee in its raids at a political consultancy.

ON-SCREEN: “MULTIPLE LEGAL FRONTS FOR MAMATA AHEAD OF 2026 POLLS.”

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SEGMENT 8 – KEY POINTS RECAP
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INT. STUDIO – CLOSING RECAP

GRAPHIC: “TODAY’S KEY POINTS” 

ANCHOR
As the hearing on EC’s SIR begins in the Supreme Court, here are the key points to watch:

1. A SITTING CM IN COURT
   - Mamata Banerjee personally present in Courtroom No. 1.
   - Has moved to argue as a citizen in person – a rare, politically charged step.

2. SCALE OF SIR IN BENGAL
   - SIR launched November 4, 2025.
   - Draft roll on December 16.
   - Over one crore notices.
   - Around 58 lakh names deleted as ASDD.

3. MAMATA’S CORE CHARGES
   - SIR being ‘weaponised’ to cut opposition votes ahead of 2026 polls.
   - Use of AI and opaque digital systems for arbitrary deletions.
   - Human cost: elderly, sick, pregnant women forced to attend hearings; alleged deaths and hospitalisations.

4. EC’S DEFENCE
   - SIR is a lawful, routine clean-up of electoral rolls.
   - Allegations termed political and exaggerated.
   - Any lapses, EC says, can be fixed within existing appeal mechanisms.

5. SUPREME COURT’S FOCUS
   - Balancing EC’s constitutional independence with protection of voter rights.
   - Ensuring transparency, fair notice and humane implementation of SIR.
   - Possible directions on data disclosure, safeguards for vulnerable groups, and timelines for final rolls.

ANCHOR (CONT’D)
A ‘historic’ day, the Trinamool says. A ‘routine’ exercise, the Election Commission insists.

The Supreme Court will now decide how India’s most basic democratic right—the right to vote—is protected in the age of digital revision and political confrontation.

We’ll keep tracking every development inside and outside Courtroom No. 1.

FADE OUT.

END.