The Kerala Government has approached the Supreme Court seeking deferment of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently being undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the State. In a writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the State argues that conducting the SIR alongside elections to the Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGIs) will pose significant administrative challenges and hinder the smooth conduct of the polls.
The State clarified that while it reserves the right to contest the legitimacy of the SIR process at a later stage, the present plea is narrowly focused on postponing the revision exercise in Kerala.
Heavy administrative burden ahead of two-phase elections
Kerala has 1,200 LSGIs, comprising 941 Grama Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, 14 District Panchayats, 87 Municipalities, and 6 corporations, collectively covering 23,612 wards. Elections are scheduled in two phases on December 9 and 11.
The SIR began on November 4, with draft rolls slated for publication on December 4, leaving only a month to execute the entire revision. The State argues that this timeline clashes critically with preparations for the local body polls.
According to the petition, 1,76,000 personnel are required for conducting the LSGI elections, in addition to 68,000 security staff. The SIR itself needs 25,668 additional personnel, which the State says places “severe strain” on administrative machinery and risks bringing routine governance to a standstill.
Constitutional deadline for local body polls
The petition cites Articles 243-E and 243-U of the Constitution, along with Section 38 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and Section 94 of the Kerala Municipality Act, all of which mandate elections within five years of the previous councils' first meeting. New LSGI members must be sworn in before December 21.
In contrast, Kerala argues, there is no constitutional compulsion to conduct a special electoral roll revision at this juncture, and the ECI has shown no “special reasons” necessitating an immediate SIR.
Previous High Court plea and pending Supreme Court matters
The Kerala High Court had earlier refused to stay the SIR, advising the State to approach the Supreme Court, which is already examining related petitions. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is hearing the SIR matters, next listed for November 26.
About The Author
Comment List