Abhishek accuses EC of flouting SC's order on micro-observers, shares "WhatsApp chats"

Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of bypassing Supreme Court directives and misusing micro-observers during voter roll revisions. In a post on X, he questioned whether the poll body believes that directions of the Supreme Court of India can be “openly flouted,” alleging that instructions were being circulated via WhatsApp instead of through formal and accountable channels.

Banerjee claimed that Special Roll Observer C. Murugan had issued directions in a WhatsApp group to micro-observers regarding the acceptability of birth certificates, allegedly to inflate deletion numbers from the electoral rolls. He argued that the Supreme Court has categorically stated that the role of micro-observers must remain strictly assistive and not extend into statutory decision-making processes.

The Trinamool Congress leader further alleged that roll observers, who are designated district-wise, had their login credentials accessed from a central location in Kolkata. According to him, login data was being misused to generate queries targeting a specific community, and any independent examination would reveal discrepancies between tower locations, IP addresses and the actual location of the concerned observers.

Sharing what he described as a screenshot of an internal WhatsApp chat, Banerjee said the process lacked transparency and due procedure. He alleged that instructions were being issued outside official, traceable mechanisms, undermining public confidence in the electoral process.

Stating that the Election Commission derives its legitimacy from public trust rather than political patronage, Banerjee warned that the matter would be pursued before the highest court of law. He added that those acting at the behest of “Zamindars of Delhi” would face stringent legal action.