SC seeks EC’s reply on DMK, TMC pleas over SIR in TN, Bengal

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Election Commission’s response to pleas by DMK, TMC, and others challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The court also paused related proceedings in high courts

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought separate responses from the Election Commission (EC) on pleas filed by the DMK, CPI(M), the West Bengal unit of the Congress, and Trinamool Congress leaders, challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, respectively.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the poll panel to respond to the fresh petitions in two weeks. The apex court also asked the Madras and Calcutta high courts to keep in abeyance any proceedings on petitions challenging the SIR of the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

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It also allowed the listing of an intervention application filed by the AIADMK supporting the exercise in Tamil Nadu. On October 27, the EC announced the conduct of the second phase of the SIR exercise in 12 states and Union territories between November and February next year.

The States and Union territories are — the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are scheduled to go to the polls in 2026. The EC said for Assam, where polls are also due in 2026, the revision of the electoral rolls will be announced separately.

The second phase of the SIR exercise began on November 4 and will continue till December 4. The EC will release the draft electoral rolls on December 9, and the final electoral rolls will be published on February 7.