Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to strike down the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directive ordering a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states and Union Territories. The party warned that the move could exclude lakhs of genuine voters and undermine democratic participation.
The petition, filed by DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi through advocate Vivek Singh, argues that the SIR violates constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 19, 21, 325 and 326, as well as the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The DMK contended that the order lacks legal foundation, since it was not notified in the official gazette or presented before Parliament as required under Section 28(3) of ROPA. The petition added that Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls had already been revised and published in January 2025 following a special summary revision, making another revision unnecessary.
The party warned that the short timeline and documentation demands could lead to large-scale removal of genuine voters, calling the process “arbitrary and without due process.” It further accused the EC of overstepping its authority by imposing citizenship verification measures similar to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), a task constitutionally reserved for the Union government.
The DMK argued that such an approach reverses the presumption of legitimacy for enrolled voters, forcing them to reprove their citizenship and thereby threatening the principle of free and fair elections.
