SC ends hearing on Tamil Nadu SIR pleas
The Supreme Court on Thursday closed the proceedings on 13 petitions, including one filed by the DMK challenging the Election Commission’s decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of the submissions of lawyer Vivek Singh, appearing for DMK’s organising secretary R S Bharathi, that petitions do not require adjudication in view of the apex court judgement on petitions challenging the SIR exercise in Bihar.
The bench then disposed of all 13 petitions on the issue. On May 27, a bench headed by the CJI had delivered its judgment on a batch of petitions challenging SIR in Bihar and upheld its power to conduct the exercise by the poll panel. It had said the exercise “breathes life” into the constitutional mandate for fair elections and advanced the “constitutional imperative of free and fair elections”. It also said the poll panel was empowered under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) to carry out special revisions.
On November 3 last year, the DMK had moved the top court against the SIR, calling the exercise “unconstitutional, arbitrary, and a threat to democratic rights”.
The DMK had sought quashing of the EC’s notification of October 27 for undertaking the exercise of SIR in the state.
The plea termed the SIR as being violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 (right to equality, freedom of speech and right to life) and other provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of People Act and the Registration of Electors Rules of 1960.
“Issue a writ of certiorari calling for records pertaining to order dated October 27, 2025, of the respondent directing that a Special Intensive Revision be conducted in the State of Tamil Nadu,” the plea said.
