The Supreme Court declined Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal’s attempt to mention the Kerala SIR plea, with the CJI reiterating that seniors cannot mention matters. The petition is now scheduled for a detailed hearing on Friday.
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NEW DELHI: A plea seeking deferment of the Kerala Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was mentioned before the Supreme Court today, drawing attention due to a brief exchange between Chief Justice of India (CJI) and Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal.
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As proceedings commenced, Sr. Adv. Kapil Sibal appeared to mention the matter, but the CJI interrupted, reiterating the current procedural norm:
“There are no seniors allowed for mentioning.”
In response, Sibal immediately expressed regret, saying,
“My apologies.”
Following this, an assisting counsel stepped forward to handle the mention on behalf of the petitioners.
After a brief interaction, the CJI directed the court staff to list the matter on Friday, bringing a quick conclusion to the mention.
What the Plea Seeks
Kerala’s plea before the Supreme Court seeks a deferment of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, arguing that it cannot be conducted simultaneously with the State’s local body elections scheduled for December 9 and 11.
The State requests that the SIR be postponed until after the completion of the LSGI elections, warning that the overlap will disrupt the constitutional mandate to complete local polls before December 21, 2025, severely overburden administrative staff, and push the government machinery into a near standstill.
The plea clarifies that Kerala is not challenging the validity of the SIR at this stage but reserves the right to do so later if required.
Kerala High Court Declines State’s Plea to Defer SIR
On 14 November, the Kerala High Court refused to stay the ongoing SIR, stating that judicial discipline requires the matter to be taken up before the Supreme Court, where similar petitions from other states are already pending.
Justice VG Arun closed the State’s writ petition but allowed the government to approach the Supreme Court. Kerala argued that the simultaneous conduct of the SIR and the local self-government elections, which require nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, would severely strain administrative resources. The State stressed that while panchayat elections must be held by December 21, there is no similar urgency for the SIR.
The ECI, represented by Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, countered that the SIR is necessary ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and dismissed concerns over staff shortages. The Supreme Court is already reviewing petitions concerning SIRs in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal
Background
On 17 November, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a State-wide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Kerala’s electoral rolls. The party argues that the move is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and timed to exclude voters ahead of the upcoming local body elections.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter. The petition, filed under Article 32 by IUML General Secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty through AoR R.S. Jena, seeks to quash the ECI’s October 27, 2025, notification and the November 4, 2025, press note extending the SIR to Kerala.
IUML contends that Kerala already completed a Special Summary Revision (SSR-2025) in January 2025, and a continuous revision under Rule 21A is ongoing, making a fresh SIR unnecessary. The party also highlights the overburdening of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), referencing reports that the SIR workload is “humanly impossible” and noting recent BLO suicides linked to stress.
The petition warns that stringent documentation rules, physical verification requirements, and broad discretion given to BLOs could result in mass exclusion of voters, particularly NRIs. It could function as a “backdoor citizenship verification exercise.” The Supreme Court has scheduled further hearings for November 26 and 27.
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