Delhi HC directs ECI to avoid imposing ‘unbearable’ burden on teachers during SIR
The Delhi High Court has instructed the Election Commission of India to ensure that schoolteachers assigned to electoral roll revision duties are not overburdened. The court emphasized that while the ECI has the authority to deploy teachers, it must balance these duties with the provisions of the Right to Education Act to prevent excessive stress.
Why it matters
This ruling addresses the tension between administrative election requirements and the professional welfare of educators, setting a precedent for labor rights in public service.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (July 27, 2026) directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that schoolteachers deployed for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are not subjected to an “unbearable” burden.
A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia reiterated that the poll body’s constitutional powers must be exercised in compliance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
The Bench clarified that there was no dispute regarding the ECI’s power to engage teachers for election-related work. However, it emphasised that Section 27 of the RTE Act, which prohibits teachers from being assigned non-educational duties except for population census, disaster relief and election work, “cannot be lost sight of”.
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