SC to hear on Nov. 11 pleas challenging legality of SIR, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court will hear arguments on November 11 regarding the legality of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
• The Election Commission initiated the SIR on June 24 in Bihar before the Assembly poll.
• The second phase of SIR aims to cover 51 crore voters in 12 States and UTs.
• Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has challenged the constitutionality of the SIR.

Detailed Insights:

• The SIR case was previously listed on November 4, but the hearing was adjourned due to the judges being part of a Constitution Bench.
• The DMK views the SIR as a disguised National Register of Citizens (NRC) that could disenfranchise voters and undermine free and fair elections.
• The DMK argues that the SIR violates the basic structure of the Constitution by disrupting democracy.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A focused review and update of electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission.
• National Register of Citizens (NRC): A register containing names of Indian citizens, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants.
• Constitution Bench: A bench of the Supreme Court with five or more judges constituted to decide on substantial questions of law.