The petition assailed the EC’s extensive use of WhatsApp for official communications with BLOs and other staff involved in the SIR exercise, which is contrary to the rule of issuing official circulars and letters. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had declared on Monday that she would move the Supreme Court against the SIR drive in Bengal and said she was ready to argue the case herself as a “commoner”. Although the petition does not state why an extension was being sought on the SIR drive, the Trinamool Congress has repeatedly alleged that the exercise was being conducted in a tearing hurry without following due processes. “Alarmingly, this appears to be occurring without physical verification, individual hearing or meaningful involvement of the concerned electoral registration officers (EROs). The petition sought a direction to the EC to “produce” before the court all such “informal communications disseminated through WhatsApp in the nature of instructions”.

Source: The Telegraph January 07, 2026 01:28 UTC