'Dalits, Adivasis, Working Class Face Risk Of Disenfranchisement' : Thol Thirumavalavan Moves Supreme Court Against Tamil Nadu SIR

Member of Parliament and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol Thirumavalavan has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India's decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. He has sought the quashing of the Election Commission's 27 October 2025 notification initiating the exercise in the State.  

In the petition filed under Article 32, the petitioner contends that the SIR is arbitrary, non-transparent, and unconstitutional, and violates multiple fundamental rights, including equality, dignity, and universal adult franchise. He argues that the rushed exercise, announced less than a year before the State goes to polls, poses a serious threat of large-scale voter deletions, particularly among marginalised communities. 

According to the petition, the design and timing of the SIR disproportionately burden Dalits, Adivasis, migrant workers, women who relocate after marriage, the working class, disabled persons, and those lacking stable documentation or digital access. Structural barriers such as seasonal migration, informal housing, linguistic challenges and digital illiteracy could make compliance nearly impossible, resulting in wrongful deletions from the rolls. 

Citing the doctrine on indirect discrimination, the petitioner argues that even a facially neutral measure becomes unconstitutional if it disproportionately excludes disadvantaged groups. The petition points out that Dalits, Adivasis, women, and working-class citizens face disproportionate risks of being removed from the electoral rolls, effectively undermining the universal adult franchise that the Constitution makers envisioned for our democracy.

According to the petitioner,  there were large-scale voter deletions during similar revision exercises in Tamil Nadu, notably in 2002 and 2005, which later drew official acknowledgement of procedural lapses. Reports of over 50 lakh deletions ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and complaints from tribal communities in 2016 are cited to underscore the risks posed by intensive revisions.

The petitioner points out that Tamil Nadu already underwent a Special Summary Revision between October 2024 and January 2025, with the updated roll published on 6 January 2025 and continuously maintained thereafter. The Election Commission, he argues, has offered no justification for a fresh statewide intensive revision, despite the proximity of the upcoming elections. 

The plea contends that the SIR process deviates from the statutory framework under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which envisages home-based verification by Booth Level Officers. Instead, the EC has introduced additional form-based procedures through executive directions, allegedly lacking due safeguards such as notice and opportunity of hearing before deletions. 

Arguing that the right to vote is a constitutional right under Article 326, the petitioner submits that the SIR effectively creates a restricted franchise by imposing procedural burdens that vulnerable citizens cannot meet, amounting to “soft disenfranchisement” and undermining democratic legitimacy. 

The ruling party in Tamil Nadu, DMK, has approached the Supreme Court against the SIR. On the other hand, the AIADMK has filed an application supporting the SIR. Actor Vijay's newly launched party TVK also filed a petition questioning the ECI's move. 

The Supreme Court will consider the DMK petition on November 26.

The petitiion was drafted by Advocate Disha Wadekar and filed through Aditi Gupta, AOR.