Former SC, HC judges form independent panel to examine ECI’s SIR exercise
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Photo: Maktoob Media
New Delhi: The Lawyers’ Association for Constitution (LAFC) on Friday, October 2, announced the formation of an independent commission comprising former Supreme Court and High Court judges to examine concerns surrounding the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The move comes amid growing criticism of the Election Commission over allegations of voter deletions, including claims that Muslim voters have been disproportionately affected, as well as demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Maktoob Media reported.
The five-member commission will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur. Former Supreme Court judge Justice A.K. Patnaik, former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Rekha Sharma and former Patna High Court judge Justice Anjana Prakash will serve as its other members.
According to LAFC, the commission will operate independently and examine the constitutional and statutory validity of the SIR, its methodology and its wider impact on eligible voters.
The panel will specifically assess whether the exercise has ensured that all eligible citizens remain on the electoral rolls while ineligible entries are removed through proper procedures.
As part of the inquiry, full and regional benches will travel to different parts of the country to hear directly from affected voters, civil society organisations and experts. A dedicated research wing will collect and analyse data on additions and deletions from electoral rolls and place its findings before the commission.
A legal support team will separately examine relevant laws, notifications and verification procedures to determine whether constitutional safeguards have been followed.
LAFC said senior lawyers Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Chander Uday Singh, Prashanto Chandra Sen, Raju Ramachandran, Rebecca Mammen John, Warisha Farasat and Vrinda Grover would provide strategic legal assistance to the commission.
A coordination committee and secretariat based at LAFC will provide administrative and operational support.
The organisation said the commission would have exclusive authority over its findings and recommendations, with neither the sponsoring organisations nor the supporting committees having any role in influencing the judges’ substantive conclusions.
The commission plans to conduct the inquiry on an intensive schedule and make its final report public by December 2026.