New Delhi, May 27: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, ruling that the exercise falls within the constitutional and statutory authority of the poll body, triggering sharp political reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Delivering a significant verdict on electoral roll verification, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi held that the Election Commission was empowered to undertake the revision exercise under Article 324 of the Constitution read with Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The court stated that the SIR exercise was directly linked to safeguarding the integrity, credibility and accuracy of the electoral process.
The judgment came on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission’s decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision beginning in Bihar and later extending it to several states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The apex court ruled that the revision exercise did not violate the provisions of the Representation of the People Act or the rules framed under it. The Bench observed that the Election Commission had acted within its powers and that the revision was aimed at ensuring free and fair elections through accurate electoral rolls.
In its observations, the court stated that “free and fair elections do not rest merely upon the mechanics of polling” and stressed that the democratic process depends fundamentally on the integrity and credibility of voter lists.
The Bench also noted that more than four decades had elapsed since the last intensive revision of electoral rolls and observed that rapid urbanisation, migration, large-scale additions and deletions in voter records had created possibilities of duplication and inaccuracies.
Soon after the verdict, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari launched a political attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, alleging that their opposition to the SIR exercise exposed their stand on illegal infiltration.
Bhandari claimed that the Congress had opposed the revision exercise because it stood with “illegal infiltrators” instead of legitimate Indian voters. He further questioned whether Rahul Gandhi would apologise for what he termed as attempts to defame Indian democracy.
The political response from the BJP came as the Election Commission’s voter verification exercise has increasingly become a contentious issue between the ruling party and the opposition, particularly in states preparing for major elections.
The SIR process has drawn public attention because of concerns surrounding voter list accuracy, migration patterns and allegations relating to duplicate or ineligible entries. The Election Commission has maintained that periodic revisions are essential for maintaining transparent and reliable electoral rolls.
The Supreme Court verdict is expected to strengthen the Election Commission’s ongoing revision process in states and Union Territories where the exercise is underway. The ruling also reinforces the constitutional mandate of the poll body in conducting electoral management and maintaining updated voter records across the country.
