Hearings were given to electors flagged over name mismatches in the SIR, the Election Commission has told the Telangana High Court, which will take up the challenge again on October 15 after the petitioners asked for time to check those claims.
Hyderabad: Defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll before the Telangana High Court on Tuesday, the Election Commission of India said that electors flagged over minor discrepancies in their enumeration forms were given a hearing, and that the final roll will be published on November 9, 2026. The submission came in a challenge to the data-matching notices issued to electors [S.Q. Masood and Another v. The Election Commission of India and Others].
The writ petition was heard on October 13, 2026 by a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda, and is listed next on October 15.
How the Commission answered the two petitioners
Petitioner no. 1’s name was not in the draft list or the original roll, the Commission said. It had replied to his representation on September 1, his Form 6 application for inclusion has been processed and is under consideration, and a reasoned order will follow if it is rejected. Petitioner no. 2’s name is in the draft list, and a mismatch in his father’s name led to a notice and a hearing. No further action is needed if his objections are accepted, the Commission said, and a reasoned order will be passed if they are rejected. It suggested the petitioners may have received its replies only after filing the petition.
What the petitioners challenge
Their challenge is to notices issued by the Commission over minor discrepancies in enumeration forms, generated through an automated data-matching platform. The petitioners argue that the process lacks statutory authority, skips verification of physical records, reflects no proper application of mind by Electoral Registration Officers, and does not disclose the particulars or methodology of the platforms ECINet and ERONET. Senior Advocate L. Ravichander, for the petitioners, also told the Bench that a separate PIL on the broader issue is pending and asked that both be heard together.
The Bench’s oral remarks and the next date
Orally, the Bench observed that the scope of a PIL is entirely different from that of a writ petition by an aggrieved person, and that if the authorities resolve the petitioners’ grievances, the PIL may then be taken up on its own. Counsel for the petitioners sought time to take instructions on the Commission’s submissions and asked for the matter to be listed the next day. The Court listed it on October 15.
What remains undecided
The Commission’s account of how automated mismatches are handled before names are excluded is now on record, while the petitioners’ challenge to the platform’s legal basis and transparency is yet to be decided. The Court has not ruled on either side’s contentions.
Case Title: S.Q. Masood and Another v. The Election Commission of India and Others [W.P. No. 32975 of 2026]
Bench: Acting Chief Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda, Telangana High Court
Date of Hearing: October 13, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate L. Ravichander for the petitioners