Kerala moves Supreme Court to defer SIR until local body polls

New Delhi: The Kerala government has moved the Supreme Court seeking to defer the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission of India, arguing that the exercise will cripple the administration during the run-up to the December local body elections.

In its plea, Kerala has urged the court to postpone the SIR at least until after the Local Self-Government Institutions polls. The State says the manner in which the revision is being undertaken is incompatible with the current election schedule.

Kerala has 1,200 local bodies and 23,612 wards, with polls mandated to be completed before December 21, 2025. The State Election Commission has scheduled polling for December 9 and 11, with counting on December 13. The entire election process is expected to conclude by December 18.

As per the SIR schedule, enumeration by Booth Level Officers must be completed by December 4, 2025. Submission of details is scheduled for December 9, and the final publication of the electoral rolls will take place on February 7, 2026.

The government told the court that conducting the SIR simultaneously would result in a severe administrative burden. Local body polls alone require 1.76 lakh personnel from government and quasi-government institutions, and an additional 68,000 police and security staff. The SIR demands another 25,668 personnel.

“This puts a severe strain on the State administration, bringing routine administrative work to a standstill,” the petition states, adding that the same trained staff cannot be deployed for both tasks.

The plea also pointed out that the SIR’s timeline overlaps with election duties. Enumeration is scheduled to be completed by December 4, the data must be submitted by December 9, and the final revised rolls are set to be published on February 7, 2026. Kerala argues that these steps directly clash with election preparations and the declaration of results, compromising both processes.

Kerala further contends that there is no urgency to carry out a special revision now. The State notes that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have already been completed, and the next Assembly polls are due only by May 2026.

“Contrary to the mandatory timeline for completing the 2025 LSGI elections, there is no constitutional or statutory requirement to conduct the SIR simultaneously,” the petition says, adding that the ECI has not cited any special reason for initiating the revision.

The State warned that rushing the SIR during the election period could undermine the quality of verification, adversely affecting citizens’ democratic rights.
(With BarandBench inputs.)