Supreme Court demands Election Commission justify non-majority SIR decisions on voter rolls

In New Delhi, the Supreme Court summoned the Election Commission, including Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and members S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, to confirm whether the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls was decided without a collective vote. The court emphasized that decisions must be either unanimous or supported by a majority, and it will enjoin any rulings that fail this test. A public interest litigation challenges the legality of SIR decisions and recent changes to Form 6 for new voters, asking the commission to retain all related records for scrutiny.

The bench also directed the Centre, deputy election commissioner Manish Garg, and the commission’s IT director Seema Khanna to respond. The petitioner's counsel argued that, while the court cannot overturn elections, it must ensure the commission follows statutory mandates during the interim. The outcome could shape how electoral roll revisions are processed ahead of upcoming polls.