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The pleas challenging the EC decision to conduct SIR include those by the DMK, West Bengal Congress, Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen, and leaders of other political parties
The SC agreed to hear pleas challenging the EC’s decision to conduct pan-India SIR of electoral rolls on November 11, 2025. (Image: News18/File)
The Supreme Court will be hearing pleas challenging the pan-India special intensive revision of electoral rolls on Tuesday (November 11).
These pleas include those by the DMK, West Bengal Congress, Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen, and leaders of other political parties.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said any fresh matter needs to be mentioned for listing before Chief Justice of India BR Gavai.
“We are only seized of Bihar SIR matters and any fresh petition with regard to other states needs to be mentioned for listing before the Chief Justice of India. We don’t know whether other matters will also be allocated to us. It all depends on the CJI,” the bench told the counsel appearing for the West Bengal unit of the Congress seeking urgent listing of its plea.
The West Bengal Congress and leaders of other political parties in the state have moved the SC challenging voter list revision. Sources said Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen has also challenged the decision to conduct the exercise in Bihar.
The apex court is also scheduled to hear a plea of the DMK challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct the exercise in Tamil Nadu. The CPI-M has also challenged the constitutional validity of the directive, terming the process “arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional”.
The AIADMK, meanwhile, has filed an application supporting the EC’s decision to conduct the exercise in Tamil Nadu, calling it “legitimate and necessary” so as to uphold the sanctity of elections and prevent voter fraud.
On November 7, the top court agreed to hear pleas challenging the EC’s decision to conduct pan-India SIR of electoral rolls on November 11. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), had sought urgent hearing in the matter, saying the issue goes to the root of democracy.
The SC is already hearing pleas challenging the validity of the poll panel’s decision to conduct the SIR exercise in Bihar. On October 16, the EC termed the Bihar SIR “accurate” and told the court that the petitioner political parties and NGOs are merely content with making “false allegations” to discredit the exercise.
It said not a single appeal has been filed by any voter against name deletion since the publication of the final electoral roll for Bihar. It denied the allegation of the petitioners that there was a “disproportionate exclusion of Muslims” from the final electoral roll of the state prepared after the months-long SIR exercise.
On October 27, the Election Commission announced the second phase of the SIR exercise in 12 states and Union territories between November and February next year. The states and UTs are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. The poll panel said for Assam, where polls are also due next year, the revision of electoral rolls will be announced separately.
Phase II began on November 4 and will continue till December 4. The EC will release the draft electoral rolls on December 9, and the final electoral rolls will be published on February 7.
(With PTI inputs)
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 10, 2025, 23:41 IST
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