SIR Under Fresh Scrutiny As Former SC, HC Judges Form Independent Panel To Examine Voter Rolls

An independent panel of former Supreme Court and high court judges has been formed to examine the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including its legality, methodology and impact on voters.

The five-member panel has been constituted by the Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) and will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur. Its other members are former Supreme Court judge A K Patnaik, former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, and former judges Rekha Sharma and Anjana Prakash.

According to the LAFC, the panel will function independently and examine whether the SIR exercise conforms to constitutional and statutory requirements. A key part of its inquiry will be to assess whether eligible citizens have remained on the electoral rolls while ineligible entries have been removed appropriately.

The panel also plans to conduct public hearings across the country, with full and regional benches travelling to different locations. These hearings are expected to gather testimonies and views from citizens affected by the revision, civil society organisations and experts.

The move comes amid an ongoing political and legal debate over the electoral roll revision, with concerns being raised in several quarters about the process and its possible impact on eligible voters. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the revision is aimed at ensuring the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls.

The LAFC said the commission would have the final responsibility for its findings and recommendations. A group of senior lawyers, including Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Chander Uday Singh, Prashanto Chandra Sen, Raju Ramachandran, Rebecca Mammen John, Warisha Farasat and Vrinda Grover, will provide strategic legal advice to the panel.

The proposed public hearings could give the commission an opportunity to examine ground-level experiences alongside the legal and constitutional questions surrounding the nationwide voter-list revision.