The Supreme Court has stepped firmly into the intensifying debate over voter roll revisions, directing the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take a final call on pleas seeking an extension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise by December 31.
The order injects urgency into a politically sensitive process unfolding across multiple states.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, issued the directive while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the ongoing SIR process in states such as Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.
The petitioners argued that the enumeration exercise required more time to prevent wrongful deletions and safeguard electoral integrity.
The court allowed the petitioners to submit formal representations to the ECI and instructed the poll body to decide on those requests before the year-end.
The Bench also asked the ECI to report its decision back to the apex court, ensuring judicial oversight over the process.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, raised serious concerns over the alleged mass deletion of voters in Kerala. He claimed that nearly 25 lakh names had been removed from the rolls during the revision exercise.
Sibal highlighted anomalies in the deletions, stating that officials removed entire households when they detected inconsistencies, such as a husband’s name missing while the wife’s name remained.
He also pointed out that December 18 marked the final date of the enumeration phase in Kerala, leaving little room for corrective measures.
The argument sharpened concerns that administrative haste could disenfranchise eligible voters.
Adding to the scrutiny, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra questioned the rationale behind conducting an intensive revision in Uttar Pradesh when the next Assembly elections are scheduled only in 2027. He argued that the urgency appeared misplaced and warranted closer examination.
ECI to File Response; Detailed Hearing in January
The Bench responded by asking the ECI to place its response on record within three weeks. It clarified that senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, would begin detailed submissions on behalf of the poll body on January 6, 2026.
However, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a separate plea that alleged data security breaches during the SIR exercise.
That petition claimed volunteers involved in enumeration had access to confidential personal data of citizens. The court chose not to intervene on this issue at this stage.
The SIR process began in Bihar on June 24, 2025, making it the first state to undergo the exercise.
Since then, the ECI has rolled out the revision across 12 other states and Union Territories, including Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
As political parties and civil society watch closely, the Supreme Court’s deadline has raised the stakes.
The ECI’s decision by December 31 could shape not just voter lists, but also public trust in the electoral process ahead of crucial elections.
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