EC defends SIR drive in Supreme Court, calls fears of mass voter exclusion ‘false, speculative and politically motivated’

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly defended its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, telling the Supreme Court that allegations of rushed implementation, disenfranchisement and targeting of vulnerable communities are “baseless, speculative and politically motivated”.

In affidavits filed in response to petitions challenging the SIR in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Commission said the successful rollout of the exercise in Bihar disproves fears raised by political parties and petitioners.

The poll body asserted that the “smooth and successful implementation” in the state showed that concerns over limited timelines, floods, illiteracy and administrative capacity were “incorrect and misconceived”.

According to the ECI, the inclusion of 7.42 crore electors, including first-time voters, demonstrated that apprehensions of large-scale deletion were unfounded. The Commission added that a significant number of names from the previous voter list were found to belong to deceased persons, permanently relocated voters or individuals enrolled multiple times. Despite this, the affidavit noted, no appeals were filed alleging wrongful exclusion, which, the ECI argued, indicates public confidence in the process.

Calling the petitions “an attempt to create panic and derail a lawful exercise,” the Commission accused the petitioners of submitting “false figures deliberately placed to mislead the court”. It said Booth Level Officers and other field officials had assisted voters in securing required documentation and that no citizen was denied the opportunity to be included.

Extending its defense to the challenges arising from Tamil Nadu, the ECI said fears of mass disenfranchisement were “exaggerated and speculative”, asserting that the plea by CPI(M) leader P. Shanmugam sought to politicise the revision exercise. It reiterated that the Commission has both the authority and obligation to verify citizenship strictly for determining voter eligibility.

Referring to a 2017 circular from the Union Home Ministry, the affidavit clarified that Electoral Registration Officers are mandated to alert authorities if there is reasonable doubt about an individual’s citizenship status. However, the Commission emphasised that the current SIR does not involve police participation.

Responding to West Bengal petitioner and Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen’s allegation that 45% of the state’s voter roll did not match records from 2002, the ECI categorically rejected the claim as “incorrect”. Allegations that the exercise would disproportionately affect minorities, Muslims or women were also dismissed as “erroneous, unsustainable and fear-mongering”.

“A Muslim who is a citizen of India need not entertain any fear,” the Commission said, adding that Article 325 of the Constitution prohibits exclusion from electoral rolls based solely on religion.

On claims of widespread anxiety within the Matua community, the ECI said such fears were unfounded, noting that the process remained in the enumeration phase and no deletions had been executed.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the petitions challenging the SIR process in the coming days.