Issued Directions To Take Preparatory Steps For SIR Of Electoral Rolls In All States/UTs : Election Commission Tells Supreme Court

The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that it has issued communications to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories, except Bihar, to initiate preparatory steps for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. January 01, 2026, has been set as the qualifying date for the nationwide SIR.The ECI said that it has decided to conduct SIR in different states and has issued a letter addressed to the CEOs of all States (except Bihar) and UTs to initiate "immediate pre-revision activities for the SIR of electoral rolls." The ECI further stated that to coordinate the steps, it convened a conference of all CEOs of States and UTs at New Delhi on September 10.The ECI made these statements in its counter-affidavit filed in response to a PIL by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyaya who seeks directions to conduct a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls in all States at regualar intervals.In its affidavit, the ECI asserted that it has the statutory power to conduct SIR as per Section 21 (3) of the Representation of the Peoples Act read with Rule 25 of the Registration of Electors Rules. The ECI stated the obligation to conduct the SIR is not couched with any timeline.The ECI further asserted that the conduct of the SIR has been left completely within its discretion. "The ECI has complete discretion over the policy of revision to the exclusion of any other authority," the ECI stated, opposing any sort of judicial direction in that regard."Any direction to conduct a SIR at a regular interval throughout the country would encroach upon the exclusive jurisdiction of the ECI," the poll body said seeking the dismissal of the writ petition.The Court is at present dealing with a batch of petitions challenging the ECI's SIR drive in Bihar. The Court has passed directions from time to time in the Bihar SIR matter, allowing the use of Aadhaar card as an additional document and allowing online applications for inclusions.Case : Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay v Union of India and others | WP(c) 634/2025

Issued Directions To Take Preparatory Steps For SIR Of Electoral Rolls In All States/UTs : Election Commission Tells Supreme Court

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