Supreme Court Seeks ECI Reply on Maharashtra SIR
Court gives the Election Commission four weeks to respond to allegations of large-scale voter deletions; final electoral roll due November 16.
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 15th Oct: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI), seeking its response within four weeks to allegations of large-scale voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant heard the matter on Thursday. The petition alleges that around 33% of voters in Maharashtra have been affected by deletions, with more than one crore names reportedly missing from electoral rolls due to incomplete verification, unsubmitted forms and technical difficulties.
The allegations are yet to be answered by the Election Commission. The court indicated that any decision found to be contrary to law could be set aside, underscoring the need for the revision process to comply with legal requirements.
The Supreme Court is dealing with 26 petitions concerning the SIR process, the Election Commission and related protests in Delhi, of which 22 reportedly challenge the revision exercise. The petitions include those filed by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders.
The bench also indicated that it may examine SIR-related issues on a state-by-state basis rather than adopting a single approach for all states.
One petition has sought the formation of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit deletions and modifications made during the SIR process within a prescribed timeframe. The Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have been named as parties in the case.
Final Maharashtra Voter List on November 16
The deadline for filing claims and objections to Maharashtra’s draft electoral roll has been extended to October 26. The final voter list is now scheduled for publication on November 16, replacing the earlier date of November 4.
The deadline for submitting claims and objections had previously been extended from September 30 to October 12 before the latest revision.
The Supreme Court proceedings come amid scrutiny of the voter-list revision process and concerns raised by petitioners over the accuracy and completeness of electoral rolls. The Election Commission’s response is expected to clarify its position on the allegations.
