SC flags EC’s choice of lighter electoral roll revision process in Assam

Guwahati, Dec 10: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Election Commission of India (EC) on a petition challenging the poll panel’s decision to conduct a Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls instead of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Assam ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

After hearing senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, who appeared for the petitioner in the case, a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi listed the matter for next Tuesday.

Petitioner Mrinal Kumar Choudhury, former president of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association, stated that the EC directed only a Special Revision of electoral rolls in Assam and that it was done “in a most arbitrary and discriminatory manner, even though there is no difference in the ground realities between State of Assam and 12 other states where Special Intensive Revision is being conducted”.

Issuing a directive to the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam, the EC decided to conduct a Special Revision of electoral rolls in Assam with January 1 next year as the qualifying date. The final publication of the electoral roll will take place on February 10, 2026.

Stating that the Special Revision in Assam will be conducted under Section 21 of the RP Act, 1950, the commission said that there are special provisions for citizenship in the State of Assam.

“The verification of citizenship is already being done under the supervision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and is in the final stages. Therefore, Special Revision is being ordered in place of Special Intensive Revision ,” the commission has said.

After completion of the SIR in Bihar, the EC had in October announced its next phase of SIR in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, which have assembly polls due next year.

The petition filed by Choudhury contends that while states, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and several Union Territories are undergoing SIR, Assam alone has been limited to a less stringent SR.

The plea states that an SR does not require electors to furnish proof of citizenship, age, or residence, whereas SIR mandates production of supporting documents for inclusion in the electoral roll.

Given the fact of State’s history of large-scale immigration, the petitioner stated that Assam needs stricter, not relaxed, verification.