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Informist, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday issued a notice to the Election Commission of India, seeking its reply on petitions challenging special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, and has listed the matter for hearing on Nov. 26. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader R.S. Bharathi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader P. Shanmugam have challenged the special revision of rolls in Tamil Nadu. All India Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Dola Sen and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee have challenged the revision of rolls in West Bengal. 

 

The court is already hearing petitions by non-government organisation the Association for Democratic Reforms, Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament Manoj Jha, human rights group The People's Union for Civil Liberties, activist Yogendra Yadav, and All India Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra, challenging the special revision of rolls in Bihar. 

 

Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Bharathi, said that there are areas where there is no connectivity at all. There's no 5G, no timelines set out on when to submit documents, said Sibal. Political parties apprehend that ineligible voters might be added by this exercise, said Sibal. "You (petitioners) are trying to convey as if for the first time in this country electoral rolls are being prepared. A constitutional authority is doing this. Anybody can comment on the deficiencies. Point out (the deficiencies), they (election commission) will rectify," said the top court.

 

The top court asked the high courts to keep in abeyance the writ proceedings if any filed touching the validity of special intensive revision in their states. The court reasoned that it was already seized of the matter pertaining to legality of special intensive revision of electoral rolls in various states including Bihar, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.

 

A special intensive revision is a large-scale, door-to-door verification of voter records undertaken by the Election Commission of India to ensure accuracy and completeness of the electoral rolls. Unlike the panel's annual summary revision, which mainly updates existing entries, the intensive revision includes comprehensive field verification and public display of draft rolls to address issues such as missing voters, duplication, or migration.

 

The poll panel has instructed booth level officers to carry out house-to-house enumeration and verify voter details while ensuring that no documents are collected from electors during this phase. Booth Level Officers will maintain lists of individuals whose names are missing from the draft rolls and display them publicly at panchayat and municipal offices, along with reasons for non-inclusion such as absence, shifting, death, or duplication.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

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