Politics

Supreme Court Clarifies Voter Rolls Can Still Be Updated After SIR Completion

By TNN

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the completion of a special intensive revision (SIR) does not freeze electoral rolls, dispelling fears that names removed from draft rolls cannot be restored and that those individuals would permanently lose the right to vote. In a hearing that addressed petitions from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Chhattisgarh, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and joined by Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana declined to extend the SIR deadline, stating that voter inclusion remains an ongoing process.

Senior advocate D S Naidu explained that people may still apply for inclusion after an SIR, with additions possible until nominations are filed for an election. The Election Commission acknowledged lapses by Uttar Pradesh officials in accepting bulk Form 7 submissions, said corrective steps were taken, and initiated action against the officials involved. The Supreme Court permitted the petitioner to flag discrepancies to the Commission.

The Commission reported that Kerala’s SIR was completed in February and that the last assembly elections used rolls prepared after that revision. CPM, represented by advocate G Prakash, claimed that 24 lakh voters were still excluded. The Court asked the CPM to provide details of voters who could not submit enumeration forms due to insufficient time, allowing the Commission to review the cases and take corrective action.

Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, representing another petitioner, alleged widespread voter deletions during Kerala’s SIR and requested a comprehensive affidavit from the Commission, even though the process had been completed. The Court instructed the Commission to respond to both the petition and Ramachandran’s request.