SC says SIR is prerogative of ECI, to continue hearing on Thursday

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a prerogative of the Election Commission of India. The Apex Court has now posted the case for hearing on Thursday.

ECI told the Supreme Court that none of the affected/ deleted voters has approached the court or filed an appeal and only politicians and NGO sitting in Delhi are raising the issue.

Moreover, the poll body also informed the Supreme Court that the final electoral list in Bihar has been notified. Most of the names added to the final list are of new voters and a few old voters, the ECI said.

During the hearing in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, advocate Prashant Bhushan said that the final voter list, which has over 21 lakh new inclusions and 3.66 lakh exclusions, must be compared with the original voter list of January 2025 - which was made before conducting the SIR in Bihar. "The ECI can do this in the click of a button,” he said.

Meanwhile, Justice Kant asked, “for whom all are the petitioners doing this?” “There are aliens who will not come out against their exclusion from the voter list. They will not approach the court. So for whom are you doing this, Mr. Bhushan?” he said.

According to The Hindu, Justice Kant said, “Mr. Bhushan, but where are the aggrieved people?” Mr. Bhushan says he can “produce 100, 200; how many people does your lordships want? There is en masse exclusion."

Justice Kant further said, “affidavits by petitioners should show specific cases, this cannot be a roving enquiry.” “The draft voter list is available in the ECI website, the final voter list is also available. You could compare and identify the excluded names,” he added.

During the last hearing on September 15, 2025, the Supreme Court said it was presuming that the Election Commission, being a constitutional authority, was following the law during the SIR of the electoral roll. The SC had also cautioned that in case of any illegality, the exercise would be set aside, the Hindu reported.