The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding several pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also issued an order that High Courts across the country must keep in abeyance (defer) any petitions filed before them relating to the SIR exercise in Bihar, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.
“Since this court is seized of the matter pertaining to legality of SIR of electoral rolls in various states, including Bihar, WB, TN, Pondicherry, and so on, we request jurisdictional High Courts to keep in abeyance or defer the writ proceedings if any filed in those High Courts touching the validity of SIR in their states,” the Bench observed.
The Supreme Court has now scheduled the matter for a full hearing on November 26.
The SIR in West Bengal was challenged by TMC MP Dola Sen and the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), through its secretary RS Bharathi, are challenging the exercise in Tamil Nadu.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the DMK, alleged that the SIR exercise was being undertaken in a "taring hurry," claiming that such electoral roll revisions historically took three years, not the rapid timeline currently proposed.
In response, the Bench questioned the petitioners' apprehension about the exercise. Mr Sibal provided a detailed explanation, stressing that the situation is not uniform across the country: "The situation in different states is different. This monsoon season in Tamil Nadu there would be a lot of rain, that might not be in other states. It’s always heavy during November and December. It is not uniform across the country. The BLOs, etc., will have to manage the flood relief as well. December and January are harvest season too in Tamil Nadu, and that time is not conducive. Christmas vacations will also be declared, there might be minimum participation in enumeration process. This may not be relevant in other states."
The top court is already hearing existing pleas that challenge the SIR in Bihar.
The apex court also instructed the ECI to respond to a separate application demanding that the panel ensure an acknowledgement slip is given to all voters who submit the enumeration forms.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the Association for Democratic Reforms, explained that the forms are not being uploaded on websites, leaving people without proof that they have successfully filed their enumeration details.
The ECI announced last month that it will conduct the second phase of the SIR across 12 states and Union Territories. The final voter list is set to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase of the SIR had previously been conducted in Bihar ahead of its assembly polls.
The states and Union Territories covered in this latest phase of the exercise are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
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