Sukanta seeks FIR against former chief secretary Manoj Pant
The Statesman | 25 February 2026
As the Assembly elections approach closer and there is palpable tension around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, former Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, who is now personal secretary to CM Mamata Banerjee finds himself at the centre of a fresh controversy.
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar has demanded the registration of an FIR and sought the arrest of Mr Pant, questioning his presence at a high-level meeting convened at the Calcutta High Court. Alleging violation of directions issued by the Supreme Court of India, Mr Majumdar claimed that the apex court had clearly specified who are authorised to attend such meetings concerning the SIR process.
“Under what authority did Manoj Pant attend the meeting despite the Supreme Court’s directive? He is no longer the Chief Secretary. His presence was illegal,” Mr Majumdar said, adding that he would move the apex court seeking appropriate action. The state government, however, rejected the allegations. Sources at Nabanna maintained that Mr Pant attended the meeting with the approval of the current Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty. At present, Mr Pant is serving as personal secretary to the Chief Minister and participated in the meeting in that official capacity, the sources said.
The meeting, chaired by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, was attended by the Chief Secretary, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, and other senior officials to review the progress of the SIR exercise. The administration contends that Mr Pant’s presence was procedurally valid and in line with administrative norms. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued significant directions to expedite the SIR process. To ensure timely completion in West Bengal, the court permitted the deployment of judges or judicial officers from Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Senior Trinamul Congress leader Dr Shashi Panja said that these are baseless allegations of the BJP only to float in the state ahead of Assembly poll. Although the matter was originally slated for hearing on 10 March, the Chief Justice’s Bench took it up urgently. According to Election Commission of India sources, nearly 12 million data discrepancies and 3.2 million un-mapped voters have complicated the revision process. Of these, around six million complaints are to be resolved by judicial committees, underscoring the enormous administrative burden.
As legal and political sparring intensifies, attention now turns to how swiftly the grievances are addressed and what consequences, if any, follow from the contested administrative decisions.