The Supreme Court of India has taken significant steps in addressing multiple petitions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across three states, while separating these challenges from the broader constitutional validity question of the pan-India revision exercise.
Court Proceedings and State-wise Responses
On Wednesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard arguments regarding the electoral roll revision process in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. The court has directed the Election Commission and respective state governments to file their responses while scheduling separate hearing dates for each state's petitions.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, presented a positive picture of the coordination between the central EC and Kerala State Election Commission. He emphasized that both bodies are working seamlessly to conduct the SIR simultaneously with local body elections, asserting that state governments lack the legal standing to challenge this simultaneous exercise.
Progress Report and Deadlines
The Election Commission revealed substantial progress in the voter enumeration process, with over 99% of voter enumeration forms already distributed and more than 50% digitization completed. The Supreme Court has asked the EC to submit a detailed status report by Monday and has scheduled the Kerala-related petitions for further hearing on December 3.
Regarding Tamil Nadu, the court observed contrasting political positions with DMK opposing the revision while AIADMK supporting the EC's decision. The bench has requested a composite affidavit from the Election Commission and posted these petitions for hearing on December 4.
West Bengal Case and Judicial Oversight
For West Bengal, the Supreme Court issued formal notices on a petition filed by a TMC MP and directed the Election Commission, state election commission, and Mamata Banerjee's government to file their responses by Monday. The court has scheduled the hearing for West Bengal petitions on December 9.
Notably, the Special Intensive Revision exercise is scheduled to conclude on December 4, but the bench made it clear that "if we find something irregular, then we can direct the EC to correct it even if the deadline has passed", indicating the court's commitment to ensuring electoral integrity beyond formal deadlines.
