SC calls plea challenging Assam’s special revision 'Infructuous'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to examine a petition questioning the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to undertake only a “Special Revision” of electoral rolls in Assam instead of a “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) before the 2026 Assembly polls, according to reports.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, disposed of the plea after noting that the revision process in the state had already concluded. Recording the ECI’s submission that the final electoral rolls were published on February 10, 2026, the court held that the matter had become infructuous.

Appearing for the poll body, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu informed the court that the revision exercise stood completed, leaving no surviving cause for adjudication.

The petition was filed by senior advocate and former Gauhati High Court Bar Association president Mrinal Kumar Choudhury. It contended that Assam had been treated differently from other states despite the ECI’s earlier statements before the apex court that SIR would be carried out nationwide. The petitioner argued that the Special Revision process in Assam did not require voters to submit documentary proof of citizenship, age, or residence — safeguards that accompany an SIR.

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, representing the petitioner, had earlier described the ECI’s approach as arbitrary and discriminatory. He submitted that Assam had been excluded from the more stringent verification exercise without any justification, even as SIR was conducted in Bihar and initiated in several other states.

During the hearing, the Bench observed that Assam’s circumstances were distinct due to its legislative and judicial history, particularly issues surrounding the identification of foreigners. The court noted that the Election Commission cannot declare an individual a foreigner unless such a determination is made by a competent tribunal.