The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a new set of petitions questioning the Election Commission’s decision to carry out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and several other states.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, SVN Bhatti and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Election Commission on all the fresh pleas moved by political leaders from different states. Each petitioner has challenged the SIR exercise on distinct grounds, ranging from alleged procedural irregularities to concerns over ongoing or upcoming elections.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing in one of the petitions concerning Kerala, told the court that the state is preparing for local body elections, which makes the matter urgent. He urged the bench to prioritise the Kerala challenge.
Taking note of the submission, the bench directed that the Kerala-related pleas will be heard on November 26. The remaining petitions, which question the electoral roll revision exercise in other states, will be taken up in the first or second week of December.
The top court is already seized of an earlier batch of petitions that question the very legality of the Election Commission’s pan-India SIR decision. On November 11, the court had directed the poll panel to file separate responses to petitions moved by the DMK, CPI(M), West Bengal Congress and Trinamool Congress leaders against the SIR exercise in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
With several states simultaneously challenging the ongoing electoral roll revision, the upcoming hearings are expected to shape the framework and timeline of SIR exercises across the country.
