SC Reserves Verdict on Bihar SIR
The apex court is examining claims that the Election Commission of India lacks the authority under Article 326 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the rules framed under it to conduct the SIR on such a large scale
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2026-01-29 16:23 GMT
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions, including one filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The apex court is examining claims that the Election Commission of India lacks the authority under Article 326 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the rules framed under it to conduct the SIR on such a large scale.
The SIR in Bihar was carried out in the first phase. The second phase of the electoral roll revision is currently underway in nine States, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and three Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. A separate special revision of electoral rolls is also in progress in Assam.
A two-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi concluded the final hearing after hearing arguments from senior advocates including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Prashant Bhushan and Gopal Sankaranarayan.
The court heard rejoinder submissions from the petitioners before reserving its verdict. Final arguments in the matter had commenced on August 12 last year, when the court observed that the inclusion or exclusion of names in electoral rolls falls within the constitutional domain of the Election Commission.
During the proceedings, it was noted that around 65 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral rolls published as part of the SIR exercise in Bihar. As per the SIR notification, voters whose names were not present in the 2002 or 2003 electoral rolls are required to establish ancestral linkage with a person whose name figured in those rolls. The Election Commission has specified 11 documents that can be used for identity verification.
The poll panel has defended the SIR exercise, asserting that Aadhaar and voter identity cards cannot be treated as conclusive proof of citizenship.