A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, hearing petitions from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and others challenging the SIR exercise, said the responsibility lies squarely with states to ensure that the Election Commission receives sufficient manpower.
The Court noted that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are already burdened with regular assignments. It directed states to appoint additional personnel if existing staff face excessive workload due to SIR. “States must deploy more staff to ease pressure on BLOs,” the bench observed.
SC to Hear State Petitions in December
The petitions filed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala are being heard continuously. The Election Commission has told the Court that political parties are “deliberately creating an atmosphere of fear” regarding SIR.
The bench will hear the matters on:
• December 2 – Kerala government petition
• December 4 – Tamil Nadu government petition
• December 9 – West Bengal government petition
On December 9, the EC will also release the draft voter list. The bench added that if a state presents valid grounds, the timeline may be extended, but argued that the absence of past SIR exercises cannot be cited to challenge the EC’s authority.
EC Extends SIR Deadline by Seven Days
The Election Commission on November 30 extended the SIR deadline by one week. The final electoral roll will now be published on February 14, 2026. Voter verification will continue until December 11, instead of the earlier deadline of December 4. The draft roll will now be issued on December 16.
99.53% Forms Delivered
According to an EC statement issued Saturday, 99.53% of forms for 51 crore voters have been delivered. Nearly 79% have been digitized, entering names, addresses and details collected during door-to-door verification into the system.
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