Tamil Nadu SIR: Supreme Court orders ECI to display names with logical discrepancies

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish the names of people against whom a "logical discrepancy" objection has been raised by the poll body during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Tamil Nadu.A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the names of persons in the 'logical discrepancy' list shall be displayed in panchayat bhavans, taluka offices and the ward offices."The names of those who appear are allowed to submit documents in person or through authorised representatives within 10 days from displaying the list of logical discrepancy list which will also contain brief reason of discrepancy," the Court ordered.The Court expressed hope that the ECI will ensure adherence to these directions wherever the SIR process is ongoing..When Senior Advocate DS Naidu, appearing for the ECI, said that the disclosure of reasons for logical discrepancy may impinge on privacy, CJI Kant said that only the brief reason, which is also there in the notice issued by the poll body, can be disclosed with the list.Meanwhile, the Court directed the district collectors to follow directions issued by the ECI for deployment of personnel to ensure smooth conduct of SIR. "Police chiefs are also directed to ensure that there is no law and order problem created and the entire process is allowed to go on smoothly," the Court ordered..Last year, the ECI had directed an SIR in Bihar. Multiple petitions, including those filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Federation for Indian Women (NFIW), challenged the legality of the process. Despite that, the ECI proceeded with SIR in Bihar since the top court did not impose any stay on the same.Subsequently, the ECI on October 27, 2025, extended the SIR to other States and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This led to multiple petitions challenging the same. .Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is one of the petitioners before the Court which has the challenged the SIR.It has argued that the decision to hold SIR is unconstitutional, beyond the powers of the Election Commission, and contrary to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (ROPA) and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.The SIR violates Articles 14, 19, 21, 325 and 326 of the Constitution and could result in the mass disenfranchisement of genuine voters, it has argued.Tamil Nadu already completed a Special Summary Revision (SSR) between October 2024 and January 2025, during which the voter list was updated to include new electors and delete ineligible names, the party has said.“There is neither necessity nor any exceptional reason to justify a de novo verification of such an extensive nature. The SIR amounts to a colourable exercise of power and is patently arbitrary, unreasonable and illegal,” its plea said..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.