Have ‘exclusive’ power to decide how and when to hold SIR, EC tells Supreme Court, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) asserted its exclusive authority to decide the timing and method of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to the Supreme Court.
• The ECI stated that deciding between intensive or summary revision depends on the situation and is outside judicial purview.
• The ECI cited the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960 as the basis for its discretion.
• The ECI confirmed a nationwide SIR with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.

Detailed Insights:

• The ECI's response came in the wake of a petition seeking judicial direction for regular SIR to identify and remove foreign infiltrators from voter lists.
• The ECI argued that mandating regular SIR would infringe upon its exclusive jurisdiction over electoral roll revisions.
• The ongoing dispute over the Bihar SIR exercise, which opposition parties allege is a citizenship screening process, adds context to the ECI's assertion.
• The ECI assured the court of its commitment to maintaining the integrity of electoral rolls and has directed all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to begin pre-revision activities.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A focused review of electoral rolls to update information and remove inaccuracies.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950: Indian law that outlines the procedures for conducting elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures.
• Electoral Roll: List of persons eligible to vote in a particular constituency.