Special Intensive Revision is illegal and must be reversed, says former Chief Election Commissioner

Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has declared the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls illegal and demanded that the process be reversed, adding his voice to a growing chorus of criticism over the Election Commission of India's conduct of the exercise. Opposition leaders have gone further, arguing that the SIR and the ongoing delimitation exercise are intertwined and have been designed to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the government had not yet prorogued the Monsoon Session of Parliament, indicating it intends to introduce related legislation around October 11. Meanwhile, Election Commission officials maintained that a separate declaration form introduced alongside Form 6 and Form 8 during the SIR process in Bihar was approved by the full three-member commission and ratified in subsequent phases.

A lawyers' body, the Lawyers Association for Constitution, has asked the Supreme Court to constitute a fresh bench — excluding Justice Satish Chandra Sharma — to hear challenges to the Chief Election Commissioner appointment law and a separate Noida District Magistrate case that the judge's son is empanelled as standing counsel for the Election Commission before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. BJP leader Ram Madhav urged the Opposition to engage with the electoral process rather than question its legitimacy, while the Commission maintained that all orders on voter list revision were passed unanimously.