SC upholds SIR, says it is EC’s constitutional duty, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court upheld the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, affirming the Election Commission's (EC) constitutional duty to conduct free and fair elections.
• The court dismissed claims that the SIR was a citizenship screening attempt and affirmed the EC's authority to verify citizenship for electoral roll inclusion.
• The EC must refer names of electors purged in the Bihar SIR to the Centre for citizenship adjudication within four weeks.
• The final Bihar electoral roll published on September 30 last year contained 7.42 crore electors, compared to 7.89 crore before the SIR began on June 24, 2025.

Detailed Insights:

• The Supreme Court emphasized that free and fair elections rely on the integrity and accuracy of the electoral roll.
• The court directed that individuals wrongly deleted from Bihar's electoral rolls due to absence, death, duplication, or relocation can challenge the EC's decision in court.
• The SIR is justified by the passage of over two decades since the last intensive revision, urbanization, migration, and potential for repeated or defective entries.
• The EC's authority under Article 324 of the Constitution is a continuous source of power to ensure the sanctity of the democratic process.
• The second phase of the SIR, covering 51 crore voters in 12 States and Union Territories, commenced while the challenge to the exercise in Bihar was pending.

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Key Concepts Involved:

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A comprehensive review and update of electoral rolls to ensure accuracy and integrity.
• Article 324: Constitutional provision granting the Election Commission the power to conduct and supervise elections.
• Electoral Roll: Official list of eligible voters in a specific constituency or area.