Supreme Court to Hear Delhi SIR Voter Notice Plea on October 28

The Delhi SIR voter notice list issue will come before the Supreme Court on October 28, after the court advanced the hearing of a plea seeking greater transparency in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the national capital.

The petition asks the Election Commission to place in the public domain the list of electors who have been issued notices during the SIR process, along with the specific reason for each notice.

Prashant Bhushan Seeks Earlier Hearing

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Bhushan told the court that the petitioners had also filed an application seeking a mechanism for inclusion of voters whose names were omitted from the electoral roll following the SIR process in Delhi.

He argued that such voters should not be required to declare that they were applying for inclusion for the first time.

Court Advances Hearing to October 28

Bhushan told the bench that the claims and objections period under the Delhi SIR had been extended and requested that the matter be heard before the relevant deadline.

The bench subsequently advanced the hearing to October 28.

When Bhushan sought an even earlier hearing, the bench observed:

“We are thinking of passing an order that will take care of it.”

Final Voter List Due on December 4

The Election Commission had earlier extended the period for filing claims and objections under the ongoing Delhi SIR by one month, until October 30.

Following the extension, the final electoral roll is now scheduled to be published on December 4.

This makes the timing of the Supreme Court hearing significant, as the petitioners are seeking directions before the claims and objections window closes.

Petition Seeks Disclosure of ‘Logical Discrepancy’ Criteria

The Supreme Court had on September 22 agreed to hear the main petition filed by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri.

The petition also seeks disclosure of the criteria, definitions, algorithmic parameters and operational guidelines used by the Election Commission to classify voters under the category of “logical discrepancies.”

The petitioners have now filed an additional application in the pending case seeking further directions on voter inclusion and publication of notice-related information.

Transparency in SIR Process at Centre of Plea

The Delhi SIR voter notice list plea raises questions about how voters are identified for notices and whether affected electors receive sufficient information about the reasons behind such action.

The petitioners are seeking a more transparent mechanism so that voters can understand why they have been flagged and take corrective steps before publication of the final electoral roll.

The Supreme Court’s October 28 hearing is therefore expected to focus on disclosure, voter inclusion and procedural safeguards during the Delhi SIR process.