The Supreme Court will hear on November 11 a significant challenge filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directive for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu. The apex court confirmed the hearing date after the DMK’s counsel presented the matter before a bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai.
The DMK, through its Organising Secretary RS Bharathi, has filed a petition arguing that the SIR process ordered by the ECI is unconstitutional. The party seeks to have the ECI’s notification dated October 27, which applied the SIR to Tamil Nadu based on earlier June 24 guidelines, declared invalid. The legal challenge specifically targets the ECI’s orders of June 24 and October 27.
The crux of the DMK’s argument lies in the potential for mass disenfranchisement. The petition warns that the SIR, if not halted, could lead to the arbitrary exclusion of thousands of voters without adherence to due process, thereby jeopardizing free and fair elections and the core tenets of Indian democracy. The DMK asserts that the ECI’s actions infringe upon fundamental constitutional rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326, as well as provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Concerns are raised regarding the burdensome documentation requirements, the lack of a proper due process, and the extremely limited timeframe allocated for the SIR in Tamil Nadu. The DMK contends that these factors make the revision exercise inherently flawed and likely to result in the removal of legitimate voters. This is particularly concerning as Tamil Nadu had already completed a comprehensive Special Summary Revision (SSR) from October 2024 to January 6, 2025. This prior exercise updated the electoral rolls, addressing issues like deceased voters and migration, with the final updated list published on January 6, 2025, and subject to continuous revisions since.
The DMK’s legal action frames the ECI’s directive as an overreach of constitutional authority. While Article 324 empowers the ECI to oversee elections, the party argues this power cannot be used to override existing legislative frameworks. The ECI’s orders are viewed as an attempt to supplant the established statutory process for electoral roll management. This legal challenge surfaces as the ECI is proceeding with a broader second phase of SIR across multiple states and Union Territories, with a projected final voter list publication date of February 7, 2026.