SC Upholds Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls

On 27th May 2026, the Supreme Court of India upheld the legality of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission of India, stating that it supports free and fair elections.

Key Points

Constitutional Basis: The Court said the ECI derives this power from Article 324 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and related rules.
Case Background: The petitions challenged the ECI notification issued in June 2025 for conducting SIR in Bihar.
Reason for SIR: The Court accepted ECI’s reasoning that large-scale migration, urbanisation, additions, and deletions had created possible inaccuracies in electoral rolls.
Free and Fair Elections: The Court observed that accurate and credible electoral rolls form the foundation of democratic elections.
Statutory Authority: The judgment stated that SIR can be conducted whenever required under the law.
Citizenship Argument Rejected: The Court rejected claims that SIR undermined the presumption of citizenship of existing voters.