THE petition filed by Opposition in the Supreme Court, which may come up for hearing on Tuesday, has sought the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired apex court judge, and assisted by technical experts and other citizens of eminence, to conduct within a fixed time an independent audit of deletions and modifications made during the SIR. It also sought a direction to ensure that no elector is deleted from the electoral roll without notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing in accordance with law, and also to ensure that eligible persons in Punjab and other states going to polls are permitted to seek inclusion in the electoral rolls until the last date permitted by law. The petition has made the Election Commission of India (EC), Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and other Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi parties in the case. The petition has sought direction to the poll panel to place on record the complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections recorded by the Election Commissioners in respect of each of the “disputed decisions” relating to the SIR of electoral rolls, together with the relevant ECINET and ERONET access logs and the complete file recording the decision dated June 24, 2025 to commence the SIR exercise across the country.

 

It has sought a direction to examine whether the disputed decisions relating to the SIR were taken in compliance with Article 324 of the Constitution, Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the law declared by the apex court. Article 324 of the Constitution vests the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in the EC. The plea said if any of the decisions have been taken without lawful authority, the same be quashed. The plea sought a direction to the EC to ensure that online Form 6 conforms to the form prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, unless and until the said Rules are lawfully amended in accordance with the applicable procedure. It also sought a direction for publishing, booth-wise, the names of all electors deleted during the SIR, together with the reasons for each deletion and a breakdown of deletions by gender and age, and to provide an effective and functional mechanism for restoring the names of electors found eligible for inclusion in the electoral rolls. The plea said the petitioners further seek examination of the manner in which the ECINET and ERONET electoral roll databases are designed, configured and operated.