The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to file its response to a set of petitions challenging the “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Court, while issuing notice, also questioned the petitioners on their apprehensions regarding the process.
A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi posed a direct query during the hearing, asking, “Why are you so apprehensive?” The petitions — filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and the Indian National Congress (INC) in West Bengal — allege that the ECI’s SIR exercise is arbitrary and could potentially disenfranchise eligible voters.
The petitioners argued that Tamil Nadu had recently concluded a summary revision between October 2024 and January 2025, and another exhaustive revision within months could lead to confusion and errors. They also expressed concern that a similar SIR exercise in Bihar had reportedly resulted in widespread deletions from voter lists.
After hearing the submissions, the Supreme Court directed the ECI to submit its reply within two weeks. The Bench further instructed that all High Courts should refrain from entertaining fresh petitions on the same issue until the apex court delivers its ruling.
The matter will be taken up for further consideration after the Commission’s response is received.