'Roll Call': Supreme Court To Hear Pleas Challenging Pan-India SIR Drive On Nov 11

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up a crucial batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across multiple states, fixing the hearing for Monday, November 11. The legal challenge, spearheaded by NGOs and political parties, argues that the massive, sudden revision exercise threatens to arbitrarily disenfranchise millions of genuine voters, thereby undermining the integrity of free and fair elections.

The initial challenge was filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) against the Bihar SIR exercise, which preceded the ongoing assembly elections in the state. However, the urgency of the matter has intensified as the ECI announced

the second phase of SIR, extending the process to cover 12 more states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for ADR, pressed for an urgent hearing, telling the bench that the issue “goes to the root of our democracy” and highlighting two major points of contention:

Exclusions and Irregularities: Petitioners allege large-scale, arbitrary exclusions from the final electoral rolls, particularly in Bihar, where the final list showed a net decrease of nearly 47 lakh electors from the roll before SIR commenced. The petitioners argue that the lack of due process in these deletions is unconstitutional.

Aadhaar Compliance: Bhushan contended that the ECI is still “not accepting Aadhaar card” as a document for inclusion in the electoral roll, despite the Supreme Court’s prior directive to treat it as one of the 12 acceptable documents for establishing identity, though not proof of citizenship.

Additionally, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court seeking an urgent stay, arguing that conducting a full-scale SIR in their state—shortly after a summary revision had been completed—lacks legal basis and constitutes “constitutional overreach”, effectively acting as a “de facto National Register of Citizens (NRC)”.

The ECI has consistently defended the SIR, asserting that the process is aimed at purifying the rolls by weeding out duplicate, deceased, and ineligible voters to ensure accuracy and transparency. However, the Supreme Court’s November 11 hearing will be pivotal in determining whether the process used by the ECI adequately safeguards the constitutional right of every eligible citizen to vote.