SC asks EC to consider extending SIR deadline in UP, Kerala
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission to consider, with sympathy, representations seeking an extension of the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, taking into account the ground realities.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was informed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that around 25 lakh names had been deleted from the electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh alone. Highlighting alleged irregularities, Sibal said there were cases where the husband’s name appeared on the rolls while the wife’s name was missing, and pointed out that the SIR deadline was approaching. The revision process in Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to conclude on December 3.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission, opposed the submissions and said such matters should be left to the poll panel, adding that the timeline had already been extended. Another lawyer questioned the urgency of the exercise, noting that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are due only in 2027, yet adequate time was not being given for the revision.
After hearing the submissions, the bench asked the Election Commission to take a sympathetic view while deciding on any representations seeking an extension of time. The court also deferred the final hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the SIR of electoral rolls in various states to January 6, when Dwivedi is expected to begin final arguments on behalf of the poll panel.
Earlier, on December 11, one of the petitioners had argued that the Election Commission cannot assume the role of a “suspicious neighbour” or a “policeman” by treating voters with doubt. The court had heard detailed submissions from senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who represents petitioners opposing the SIR process being carried out in several states.
Ramachandran questioned the conceptual foundation of the SIR and contended that the Election Commission’s constitutional mandate is to act as a facilitator and enabler of voting rights, not as a disabler. He argued that when there is an adequate statutory framework governing citizenship, the poll panel should not act as a “nosy parker” by instructing booth-level officers to cast doubt on voters.
The bench had also earlier asked whether the Election Commission is barred from conducting inquiries in cases of doubtful citizenship and whether such an inquisitorial process falls outside its constitutional powers.
SC Asks EC to Consider Extending SIR Deadline in UP, Kerala
With PTI inputs
