News

Kerala SIR case: LIVE UPDATES from Supreme Court

ECI plans to hold the SIR across India. A batch petitions challenging the legality of the process are pending before the top court.
Supreme court and Kerala SIR
Supreme court and Kerala SIR

CJI: We can also have the final hearing. Let us start it today. We can start at 2 pm and let us know how much time you require on both sides to complete arguments.

CJI: WB State election commission also at liberty to file reply by December 1,2025. List West Bengal matter on December 9. (Date modified).

Advocate mentions the pela challenging the SIR in West Bengal.

CJI: Let counter in West Bengal SIR matter be filed over the weekend. ECI says 2 more IAs have been filed in the case. He needs time. Counter to be filed along with reply to IA be filed by December 1, 2025. List the matter on November 10, 2025.

CJI: Let ECI file the counter in Kerala SIR case by Monday. Let reply he filed by December 1. List the case on December 2, 2025.

Dwivedi: Let the Kerala State election commission also file a reply.

CJI: Let counter be filed by SEC by December 1.

CJI: ECI states that counter affidavit shall be filed on or before December 1. Let the soft copy be served to all the counsels appearing in the case of SIR in Tamil Nadu. Let reply to the same be filed on or before December 3. List the matter on December 4.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan: The SIR process is being conducted in great hurry. Many BLOs are committing suicide and there are reports about it. In Assam, there is no requirement about enumeration forms and different than rest of India... Please hear our IA.. We are relying on the own manual of ECI.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal: BLAs are allowed to upload 50 forms ..

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi: These political parties are creating a scare.

Sibal: No, this is on instructions by ECI. These are your instructions and cannot be about a political party or leader.

Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran: Tamil Nadu issue is important. Cut off date is December 4.

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi: Have it on 5th November.

Senior Advocate Ramachandran: This is too late.

CJI Kant: Tamil Nadu SIR matter will be on Monday. Kerala SIR issue is for deferment of SIR since local body elections are on

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi: Plea was first before HC. State Election Commission had said they are not facing any issues. ECI and SEC are coordinating. 99 percent voters have got forms, more than 50 percent are digitised.

CJI Kant: File separate status report for Kerala SIR.

The Supreme Court is hearing petitions filed challenging the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in various States.

Among these petitions is a plea filed by the Kerala government seeking deferment of the SIR at least till after the upcoming local body elections. On November 21, the Court issued notice to the ECI in the matter.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Indian Union Muslim League leader PK Kunhalikutty have also filed petitions in the matter. They have challenged the SIR itself and not merely sought deferment of the process.

Today, the petitions challenging SIR in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are also listed before the top court. The Court had earlier declined to halt SIR in Bihar, where assembly polls were held recently, and instead chosen to monitor the process.

After the Bihar exercise, ECI announced SIR of electoral rolls in over 10 States in the first phase and plans to conduct the exercise across India. ECI has said that the SIR is crucial to ensure that only eligible citizens remain on the electoral rolls.

The matter is listed for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. In the case of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Justice Kant had earlier questioned the petitioners' apprehensions about the electoral exercise.

Follow live updates from today's hearing.

Supreme Court of India
Election Commission of India
Special Intensive Revision
Kerala SIR

Related Stories

No stories found.
Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news
www.barandbench.com