Kerala High Court rejects state govt plea to delay electoral roll revision SIR, backs schedule of ECI

The Kerala High Court on Friday (Nov 14) refused to interfere with the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, dismissing a petition filed by the state government that sought a temporary postponement until the completion of the upcoming local body elections.

The state government had urged the court to defer the revision process, arguing that conducting the SIR simultaneously with preparations for the local polls was placing an “unmanageable administrative burden” on local authorities.

According to the petition, the same staff responsible for updating, verifying, and finalising draft electoral rolls were already heavily engaged in pre-election duties, creating an overlap that could compromise the quality of both the revision and the elections.

However, after hearing detailed submissions from both sides, the division bench rejected the plea. The judges noted that maintaining accurate and updated electoral rolls is a “continuous and necessary exercise” and that the ECI’s schedule must be adhered to without disruption.

The Election Commission of India strongly opposed the request for deferment. The ECI argued that the Special Intensive Revision is a statutory requirement essential for ensuring accurate voter records for upcoming assembly or general elections. It maintained that postponing the revision based on the scheduling of state-level local body polls, conducted by a separate State Election Commission, would undermine its constitutional mandate.

The Commission further emphasised that the revision process includes crucial tasks:

• Addition of new voters
• Correction of existing entries
• Removal of deceased or duplicate voters

Any delay, the ECI stated, could adversely affect the integrity of future electoral processes and disrupt preparations for larger national polls.

Agreeing with the ECI’s submissions, the High Court underscored that the preparation of electoral rolls for parliamentary and assembly elections is solely under the Commission’s authority. The bench stressed that the ECI’s timeline cannot be adjusted at the request of the state government, especially when the revision is already underway.

The court observed that the state government must “manage parallel administrative responsibilities without seeking alterations to the ECI’s established schedule.” With the order, the ECI is now free to proceed with the publication of the draft rolls as planned.