Supreme Court Upholds ECI’s State‑wide SIR of Electoral Rolls – Implications for Electoral Integrity
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 2026, affirmed the ECI's SIR as a step toward free and fair elections. The judgment comes after the exercise had already been completed in Bihar and in 12 other states and union territories during phase 2 of the roll‑cleaning drive.
Key Developments
- The Court finally addressed the constitutional validity of the SIR, rejecting the petitioners' claim that Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act permits only constituency‑specific revisions.
- The Court held that the word “any” in the statute cannot be narrowed to “only”, allowing a systematic, state‑wide clean‑up to address migration and churn.
- It distinguished between an “adjudicatory” exercise (where the presumption of voter validity stands) and an “inquisitorial” one (where each voter must prove entitlement anew), but did not fully examine the practical flaws of the SIR.
- Retrospective validation was granted, effectively confirming the deletions that had already taken place.
Important Facts
- More than 10 % of the total rolls were trimmed, amounting to roughly 6.5 crore deletions nationwide.
- A noticeable drop in the gender ratio was observed in most states, except Tamil Nadu.
- In West Bengal, the SIR led to arbitrary deletions, disproportionately affecting minorities and the under‑privileged, with statistical analyses suggesting an impact on poll outcomes in several constituencies.
- The case was filed by the ADR