EC losing credibility: 250 civil society members jointly urge halting SIR

The civil society members flagged SIR as a "discriminatory, undemocratic, non-transparent and unscientific process."

Hyderabad: As many as 250 civil society members in states where Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls has been conducted or identified for phase 3 of the exercise, have jointly released an appeal asking for a stop to the process while a comprehensive review and corrections are carried out.

The civil society members, including at least 11 from Telangana, have flagged SIR as a “discriminatory, undemocratic, non-transparent and unscientific process” which has resulted in around 6 crore eligible voters across 10 states and three Union Territories losing their voting rights. Additionally, 35 lakh voters have been denied verification in West Bengal, they said.

Most of the affected groups include minorities, Adivasis, Dalits, migrant workers, daily wage labourers, nomadic communities and women. Even prominent individuals like Amartya Sen, Admiral Arun Prakash and Mohammed Shami were reportedly issued notices, they said.

“Since June 2025, the way SIR has been implemented has caused the Election Commission of India (ECI) to completely lose its credibility. It has also exposed itself as a biased institution in performing its constitutional duties under Article 324. Citizens across the country are expressing deep disappointment with the Supreme Court, which has so far failed to protect voters’ rights,” the statement read.

“SIR has not only failed to provide a comprehensive voter list but has also revealed the questionable intentions of the ECI. It has failed in its stated aim of removing ‘illegal voters,’ and the decision-making process lacks transparency,” the statement added.

The civil society members have called for reforms in the ECI, alleging a lack of neutrality. They also demanded that a single transparent voter list be prepared, from the village level to Parliament level, and no elections proceed without including all eligible voters.