The plea contends that conducting a sweeping revision of the voters’ list alongside an active election process undermines the stability and integrity of the poll system
NEW DELHI — Seeking an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in Kerala, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Monday approached the Supreme Court arguing that the Election Commission of India (ECI) cannot conduct the process simultaneously with ongoing local body elections.
The move comes as anger against the Election Commission is intensifying across Kerala, after a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Kannur died by suicide allegedly due to SIR-related work pressure, an incident that has triggered statewide protests, with BLOs announcing a boycott of duties on Monday.
The BLO, identified as 41-year-old Aneesh George, a school attendant by profession, was found dead inside his house in Ettukudukka, near Payyannur, on Sunday, November 16.
Aneesh was one of over 25,000 BLOs in the state responsible for distributing and collecting SIR enumeration forms.
The IUML’s writ petition, filed through the party’s General Secretary PK Kunhalikutty, challenges the ECI’s October 27 notification announcing the SIR, calling the decision arbitrary and based on “unrealistic timelines.”
“In a democracy, when those in power fail to deliver justice, approaching the courts becomes the only way,” Kunhalikutty said, calling it an “unholy haste.”
“For anyone who thinks impartially, it is obvious that the election in Bihar was manipulated. The situation now in Kerala is that there isn’t even enough time to submit the SIR documents,” media reports quoted IUML State President Syed Sadiqali Thangal as saying in Kozhikode.
The writ petition was prepared by IUML MP Advocate Haris Beeran and filed through Advocate RS Jena.
In the petition, the IUML pointed out that the Election Commission has already notified the local body polls, scheduled for two phases on December 9 and 11, while the draft roll after the SIR is set to be published on December 4.
Indian Union Muslim League contended that conducting a sweeping revision of the voters’ list alongside an active election process undermines the stability and integrity of the poll system.
The IUML further argued that the SIR was ordered without any finding of fraud, duplication, or systematic corruption in Kerala’s electoral rolls.
The petition states that the ECI’s “attempt to overwrite a valid, existing electoral roll and impose sweeping re-verification requirements” is unreasonable and disproportionate.
According to the plea, nothing in the Representation of the People Act, 1950 authorises the blanket deletion or neutralisation of an existing electoral roll without specific, individualised complaints regarding errors or ineligibility.
The accompanying application seeking a stay of the SIR process cited the tragic death of BLO Aneesh George. The IUML alleged that the suicide was triggered by extreme work pressure caused by the ongoing SIR exercise.
The application stated that several BLOs had complained about the impossible workload, pointing out that many were working from 7 am to 8 pm, including weekends, and still could not complete the distribution of enumeration forms.
The petition asserted that the one-month period given for the revision, especially when local body polls are underway, is grossly insufficient and endangers both BLOs and voters, particularly NRIs.
It may be noted that the Kerala government had last week approached the state high court seeking to defer the SIR until after the local body elections. The court, however, declined to interfere and suggested that the state approach the Supreme Court, which is already hearing SIR-related matters.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had strongly criticised the ECI’s decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, calling the SIR “an affront to our democratic process.”
He said that conducting the exercise using “outdated lists” and rushing it ahead of crucial local polls raised “serious concerns.”
In September, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the ECI to reconsider the SIR, warning that the exercise could “seriously harm people’s rights.”
The resolution, supported by both the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF, called for electoral rolls to be updated transparently and without undue haste.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK had also moved the Supreme Court earlier challenging the SIR in that state, calling it “constitutional overreach” that could lead to large-scale disenfranchisement. — With inputs from Agencies
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Cover photo: The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) on state-wide protest after a BLO worker allegedly died by suicide because of the work pressure during the ongoing SIR in KErala. (X photo)
