Supreme Court Urges Consideration for Extension of Electoral Roll Revision

The Supreme Court has urged the Election Commission to sympathetically consider requests for extending the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. Concerns have been raised about over 25 lakh deletions in UP. A final hearing on relevant petitions is scheduled for January 6.

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to consider extending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, following concerns over the large-scale deletion of names. Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal highlighted that over 25 lakh names were removed in Uttar Pradesh alone.

Amid ongoing debates, the court's bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, stressed a sympathetic approach to extension requests. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, opposed these submissions, insisting that such decisions should remain the poll panel's prerogative since extensions had already been granted.

The court deferred a final decision on January 6, addressing petitions challenging the SIR across states. The discussion emphasizes the balance between conducting thorough voter roll revisions and protecting the constitutional mandate to facilitate voter rights.

(With inputs from agencies.)