DMK challenges SIR in SC, raises voter purge fear

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu's governing party DMK on Monday filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Election Commission's decision to conduct special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls of all states. It alleged that SIR is an arbitrary exercise that would lead to removal of voters' names from the lists. DMK said a special summary revision of TN voter list was conducted between Oct 2024 and January 2025. DMK in SC: SIR exercise can disenfranchise lakhs of voters The revision had addressed issues of migration, death and deletion of ineligible voters from the existing state electoral roll. "The SIR and the Orders, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process, disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country, which are part of the basic structure of the Constitution," said DMK said through its organising secretary R S Bharathi.DMK said the Bihar SIR was carried out by introducing new and stringent requirements for voters to provide proof of citizenship, particularly for those who were not registered as voters in the 2003 electoral roll. It cited several orders of the SC, tweaking the procedure and allowing Aadhaar as an identity proof. DMK and said the procedure adopted by EC in conducting SIR is neither prescribed in the Representation of the People Act nor in Conduct of Election Rules.

"There is neither a necessity for conducting de novo verification of electoral rolls nor a compelling reason for such extensive exercise." it said. DMK said, "...SIR is bound to cause uncertainty and disenfranchisement of a significant number of voters, as seen in Bihar", a charge yet not accepted by the SC, which is still seized of the matter.