Congress Escalates Legal Battle Against SIR Process
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has sparked a major political confrontation in West Bengal, with the state Congress unit now taking the fight to the Supreme Court. This legal challenge adds to the growing opposition against the electoral revision process that has already drawn criticism from multiple states and political parties across India.
The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee has formally approached the apex court, joining other petitioners including civil society activists from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK party. The opposition spans across political ideologies with Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI(M), and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) all raising concerns about the SIR process.
Why Congress is Challenging SIR in Bengal
Suman Ray Chowdhury, spokesperson of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, provided detailed explanations for the legal challenge. "In Bihar, we witnessed that 44 lakh names were removed during a similar process. We have serious doubts about the legitimacy of these removals," Chowdhury told Aajkal newspaper.
The Congress leader highlighted several technical concerns with the SIR implementation. "The form distributed in Bengal required modifications before use. More importantly, we question why the 2002 voter list is being used as the baseline for SIR instead of more recent electoral rolls."
Chowdhury expressed concerns about potential disenfranchisement, stating "Numerous mapping and linking issues could result in genuine voters being excluded while fake entries remain on the lists."
The NRC Connection and Documentation Requirements
The Congress spokesperson raised alarms about what he described as a backdoor approach to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC). "The documentation requirements are particularly concerning. People born before 1987 only need to provide their own details, but those born after 1987 must submit details of at least one parent. For individuals born after 2004, information about both parents is mandatory."
This layered documentation approach has led opponents to label SIR as a 'de facto NRC', drawing parallels with the controversial National Register of Citizens that sparked nationwide debates about citizenship and documentation.
Bihar Precedent: 65 Lakh Voters Deleted
The opposition frequently cites the Bihar experience where approximately 65 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral rolls during SIR implementation in mid-2025. This massive deletion created significant controversy and prompted separate Supreme Court intervention.
The apex court has since directed the Election Commission of India to publish district-wise lists of all deleted voters on official websites. The searchable database, accessible through EPIC numbers, must clearly specify reasons for each deletion, including categories like death, permanent migration, and double registration.
Legal Challenges and Constitutional Questions
Opposition parties and civil society groups argue that the SIR process violates constitutional principles and existing electoral laws. They contend that the process doesn't follow the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) 1950 or the Registration of Electors Rules 1960.
Legal experts point to Section 28(3) of ROPA, which requires any new procedure for electoral rolls to be officially notified and presented before Parliament—a step that petitioners claim was not followed in SIR implementation.
The process also demands retrospective document verification using a 2003 cut-off date, a requirement not found in existing electoral laws. Petitioners argue that the mass re-verification violates court-mandated safeguards, including the right to individual hearings before voter removal.
Operational Challenges and Timing Concerns
Multiple states and political parties have raised additional practical concerns about SIR implementation. They argue that the time allocated for door-to-door verification is insufficient, especially given that the process coincides with monsoon months and major festivals including Christmas and Pongal.
There are widespread complaints about operational lapses, with reports of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) skipping house visits, failing to distribute proper forms, and allegedly guiding deleted voters toward incorrect re-registration procedures.
The convergence of these legal, operational, and political concerns has turned SIR into one of the most contentious electoral issues in recent times, with implications for millions of voters across multiple Indian states.
