The much-awaited Supreme Court (SC) order on the constitutionality of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls (ER) undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is out, causing exultation and dismay in rival camps. I wonder if it surprised anyone.

The SC first heard this petition on July 10 last year, soon after the ECI initiated the SIR process on June 24 2025 in Bihar. That the SC allowed the process to be completed in Bihar with an extremely tight deadline in view of the imminent assembly elections and, thereafter, in 12 other states/UTs, was a reasonable indication of the way it perceived the legality of the exercise. It tinkered with the process and raised inconvenient questions during the hearing, gladdening the hearts of the petitioners temporarily. But then it also said it would not allow anyone to obstruct the process. In fact, the SC enabled the ECI to continue the exercise in the face of alleged “non-cooperation” in West Bengal by appointing judicial officers and appellate tribunals to adjudicate and hear appeals. To now expect the SC to negate the exercise by delegitimising it was naïve.

Before we look at the order and its implications, it must be understood that this SC order doesn’t consider issues such as logical discrepancies or the inability of the 27 lakh deleted voters in phase two of the SIR to avail of the appellate process. It examines the constitutional authority of the ECI in conducting the SIR, the procedure followed, the documents prescribed for eligibility, and the scope of its inquiry into citizenship. It framed the following issues for consideration.

One, whether the ECI has the power to conduct the impugned SIR? Two, whether the SIR is founded on a legitimate purpose, and whether the measures adopted are........

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