Civil society groups demand full rollback of SIR, restoration of pre-poll voter lists
· India · The Hindu, NDTV
Senior lawyers and civil society members addressing the media under the banner 'Together We Stand' on Monday demanded the Election Commission roll back the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists nationwide. They argue that all forthcoming elections must be conducted on pre-SIR voter rolls, restored to their state after summary revision, as was the prior practice. The groups also demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, threatening removal proceedings if he refuses. Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal further alleged that the Supreme Court should scrap all Election Commission decisions, citing a recent expose where two Election Commissioners objected to the poll body's SIR conduct. The activists further called for a public social audit of the electoral roll, as provided for in the Manual on Electoral Rolls issued in December 2023.
Why it matters
The SIR rollback demand directly affects the electoral rolls used in all upcoming elections, potentially disenfranchising voters removed during the revision and undermining voter trust. If pre-SIR lists are restored, millions of electors could regain their voting rights, altering election outcomes and accountability.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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