Mass deletions, internal dissent allegations challenge Supreme Court-backed SIR

On May 27, the Supreme Court held that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls neither stands in direct conflict with the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The judgment, authored by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, concluded the exercise did not detract from the “constitutional imperative of free and fair elections”.

The Bench traced the ECI’s statutory authority to Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, which empowers the poll body to order a special revision of electoral rolls for any constituency at any time, provided reasons are recorded in writing. It further invoked Article 324 of the Constitution, which vests the Commission with superintendence, direction, and control over the nation’s electoral process, placing the SIR firmly within the ambit of Part XV of the Constitution.