Supreme Court to Hear Plea on Delhi Electoral Roll Discrepancies on October 28

The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for October 28 to address a significant petition concerning discrepancies in the electoral rolls of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi agreed to advance the hearing date after being approached by the petitioners, who raised urgent concerns regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.The plea, filed by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri, requests the court to direct the Election Commission (EC) to make the list of electors served with notices during the SIR publicly available. Furthermore, the petitioners are seeking clarity on the specific reasons behind each notice issued, as well as disclosure regarding the criteria, definitions, algorithmic parameters, and operational guidelines used by the poll panel to classify voters under the category of 'logical discrepancies'.Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, informed the court that many voters have had their names omitted from the electoral rolls following the SIR process. The petitioners have filed an application seeking a mechanism for these individuals to be re-included in the voter list without the burden of declaring themselves as first-time applicants. The current process requires the submission of Form 6, which the application argues is factually inapplicable to those previously enrolled. The petitioners have requested the court to direct the EC to provide a more appropriate declaration form and to ensure that valid claims for restoration are not rejected solely due to the absence of the additional SIR declaration.The backdrop to this legal challenge lies in a draft electoral roll published by the poll panel on August 31. According to the data provided, approximately 47 lakh voters were removed from the total list of 1.45 crore registered voters in Delhi. The EC reported that over 43.32 lakh voters were identified as having shifted or been absent, while more than 2.82 lakh were found to have died, and over 1.41 lakh were registered at multiple locations.During a previous hearing on September 22, the Supreme Court expressed skepticism regarding the methodology used by the election authorities. The bench observed that notices under the SIR exercise appeared to be issued to the public “almost mechanically” and suggested that the poll panel should implement additional safeguards to prevent the wrongful exclusion of eligible citizens. The court emphasized that the criteria used for identifying a "logical discrepancy" required further clarification from the authorities.The electoral timeline for the city has seen adjustments in recent weeks. On September 26, the Election Commission extended the period for filing claims and objections for the SIR by one month, moving the deadline to October 30. The final publication of the electoral roll is now scheduled for December 4. Given these looming deadlines, the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the matter on October 28 is expected to have a direct impact on the ongoing registration and correction process.The bench indicated its awareness of the time-sensitive nature of the situation, observing that it would consider passing an order to address the concerns raised by the petitioners before the October 30 deadline. As the legal proceedings move forward, the case highlights the critical importance of transparency and accuracy in maintaining electoral rolls, ensuring that the democratic rights of voters remain protected during administrative revision cycles.