The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought separate responses from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on petitions filed by the DMK, CPI(M), the West Bengal Congress unit, and leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi granted the poll panel two weeks to file its replies. The Court also directed the Madras High Court and the Calcutta High Court to keep pending proceedings related to the same issue in abeyance until further orders.
During the hearing, the top court permitted the listing of an intervention application filed by the AIADMK, which supported the SIR exercise in Tamil Nadu.
On October 27, the Election Commission announced the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision exercise to update electoral rolls in 12 states and Union territories. The process, which began on November 4, will continue till December 4.
The Commission said that the draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, while the final rolls are expected to be released on February 7, 2026.
The SIR exercise covers the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Four of these—Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal—are slated to hold Assembly elections in 2026. The ECI clarified that for Assam, which will also go to polls in 2026, the electoral roll revision schedule will be announced separately.
The petitions filed by opposition parties in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have questioned the legality and timing of the SIR process, alleging procedural irregularities and lack of transparency. The matter will next be taken up after the ECI files its responses.
