SC Asks ECI to Consider Extending Enumeration Phase of SIR in Various States after UP, Kerala Sough Extension
NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take a “sympathetic view” of representations to extend the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, taking into consideration the “ground realities” in various States.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant passed the order, requesting the EC to take an “appropriate decision” after petitioners from Uttar Pradesh and Kerala said the enumeration phase was still too hasty for comfort.
The enumeration schedule for Kerala had been revised earlier, with the deadline pushed to December 18 and the draft voter list to be published on December 23. The revised deadline for Uttar Pradesh was modified to December 26.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for petitioners challenging the SIR of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, including Barabanki MP Tanuj Punia, asked what was the hurry to conduct the exercise when the Assembly election was only scheduled to be held in 2027.
“The probability of the Assembly elections is in April or May of 2027. It is a large State as far as population was concerned, and there is clearly no urgency to hold this exercise now,” Mr Dave submitted. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate C.K. Sasi, appearing for Kerala, joined in to urge the apex court to order an extension of the enumeration phase deadline.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, for the EC, intervened to urge the court to not pass any judicial orders extending the deadline. “The Election Commission is keeping a watch. It is evident with the extensions given in the past. Your Lordships may not extend, leave it to the Election Commission,” Mr Dwivedi pressed.
Mr Sibal said 25 lakh electors would be excluded from the draft list in Kerala. “The wife is excluded and the husband is included. When the authorities know of this, they delete the husband too,” Mr Sibal said.
A Bench of Justices Kant and Bagchi further listed the hearing on the constitutionality of the SIR on January 6, 2026, after the winter break. The EC is scheduled to make its submissions countering the challenge to the SIR exercise. The previous extension was announced on December 11, 2025, the earlier deadline to submit enumeration forms. Further, the Supreme Court did not entertain a plea citing the dangers of passing on citizens’ confidential data to “volunteers” in the enumeration phase.
(Manas Dasgupta)
