The Kerala High Court advised the state government to move the Supreme Court regarding the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Justice V.G. Arun said it would be more appropriate since similar pleas are pending before the apex court.
The Kerala High Court suggested that it would be prudent for the state government to seek the Supreme Court’s intervention regarding the Election Commission of India’s decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala.
During the hearing concerning the state government’s petition, Justice V.G. Arun indicated that it might be more effective to approach the Supreme Court, as multiple states have already filed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) challenging the SIR.
The court is expected to issue a ruling on Friday regarding the state’s request to delay the SIR until after the local body elections are conducted.
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Advocate General K. Gopalakrishna Kurup clarified that the state is not disputing the legality of the Election Commission’s SIR; rather, the writ petition seeks a postponement of the SIR specifically until the local body elections conclude.
The state government argued that conducting the SIR alongside the local body elections could disrupt their smooth administration.
Organizing elections for the Local Self Government Institutions (LSGIs) represents a massive undertaking, necessitating the deployment of 176,000 personnel from both government and quasi-government services, along with an additional 68,000 police and security personnel for safety during the elections.
Elections in various districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam, are slated for December 9, while Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod will hold their elections on December 11. November 14 marks the issuance of the election notification, with the nomination deadline on November 21, scrutiny on November 22, and withdrawal permitted until November 24.
Counting is scheduled for December 13, and the entire election process must be concluded by December 18. The SIR process is comprehensive and complex.
The Advocate General warned that conducting both the LSGI elections and the SIR concurrently would lead to an administrative standstill.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission of India, pointed out that the SIR process was announced on October 27.
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Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were appointed and trained, with the revision commencing on November 4. As of now, 55 percent of the enumeration work has been completed, and it is projected to conclude by December 4.
This process involves obtaining signatures from electors.
The enumeration forms are pre-filled with details like Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers and addresses. These forms are collected door-to-door by BLOs and agents from political parties, who gather the signatures from electors before uploading the completed forms. With more than half of the work completed, Dwivedi argued that intervening at this stage could disrupt the ongoing process.