The Reporters' Collective has verified that the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for West Bengal, a top Election Commission of India (ECI) official, sent informal instructions to state officials via WhatsApp concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter roll. These instructions, shared through a WhatsApp group with District Electoral Officers (DEOs), reportedly included directives that contradicted the ECI's formal written orders on how the SIR process should be conducted. The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) first brought these accusations to light in a plea filed before the Supreme Court by its Parliamentary Party Leader, Derek O'Brien. The Supreme Court has since taken cognizance of these allegations, issuing a notice to the ECI and seeking its response on the claims of arbitrary actions and procedural irregularities in the SIR, including the use of informal communication channels like WhatsApp. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing O'Brien, highlighted in court that instructions were allegedly being issued via social media platforms, bypassing formal written orders and potentially absolving decision-makers of accountability. Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) in West Bengal have also voiced concerns directly to the CEO regarding these informal WhatsApp messages, citing contradictory directions and a lack of clear written guidelines for handling 'logical discrepancies' in voter mapping. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has similarly alleged that the Election Commission is being run on WhatsApp. The article further notes that the ECI and the West Bengal CEO did not respond to queries regarding the use of WhatsApp for official instructions or whether these informal orders were subsequently formally recorded. This issue is particularly critical as the SIR is a 'de novo' verification exercise intended to purify the electoral roll ahead of the 2026 Assembly Elections, with significant implications for voter rights and the integrity of the electoral process. The use of informal communication for such a vital exercise has raised questions about transparency and adherence to established protocols.