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Background of the Case The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed the Supreme Court that its authority to verify a person’s citizenship during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is strictly confined to determining eligibility for voter registration and does not extend to deportation or termination of citizenship. The submissions were made before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant , along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi , while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the legality of the SIR exercise undertaken by the ECI. What Is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)? The Special Intensive Revision is an electoral exercise conducted periodically by the ECI to: Remove names of deceased voters Delete entries of persons who have permanently migrated Correct duplicate or erroneous voter records The petitioners allege that the current SIR exercise is being used as a backdoor mechanism to determine citizenship , thereby leading to potential disen...

Background of the Dispute A significant constitutional challenge relating to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections has reached the Supreme Court of India , days before polling scheduled for January 15 . A Mumbai-based businessman, Mozam Ali Mir , has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of his Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which alleged mass, arbitrary, and unconstitutional rejection of nomination forms across Mumbai’s 227 electoral wards. The Supreme Court has listed the matter for urgent hearing on Tuesday , barely two days before the elections, underlining the gravity of the allegations and the potential impact on electoral democracy. The Petitioner and Nature of the Challenge Mir’s PIL, originally filed before the Bombay High Court on January 5 , raised concerns about the sanctity of free and fair municipal elections , claiming that returning officers systematically rejected nominations on hyper-technical and no...

Introduction: ECI Not at Fault if SIR Aim Same Across Bihar Seats The Supreme Court has clarified that the Election Commission of India (ECI) cannot be blamed for conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the entire state of Bihar if the reasons for initiating the exercise are uniform across all constituencies . This observation came while hearing multiple petitions questioning the legality and constitutionality of the SIR process being implemented in Bihar. Understanding the SIR Exercise: Not a Routine Revision The bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that this is not a routine annual updation of electoral rolls , but a special revision permitted under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (ROPA). The Court stated that any process conducted by the ECI that is fair and transparent cannot be interfered with unless it is shown that the ECI lacks the legal authority to do so. Petitioners' Key Argument: SIR as an Unconst...

KTR Urges Rahul Gandhi to Walk the Talk on 'Paanch Nyay' Background: The Supreme Court's Ruling on Defection On July 31, the Supreme Court delivered a significant verdict reinforcing constitutional accountability in cases of political defection. The ruling has ignited political tensions in Telangana, where the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has accused the ruling Congress party of engineering mass defections to consolidate power.

ECI Responds to Allegations with Formal Invitation In a significant development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for an official interaction to address his recent allegations of rigging in the Maharashtra Assembly elections , held in 2024. The invitation, confirmed by official sources, was sent via email on June 12 and also physically delivered to Gandhi’s residence . The move comes in response to public accusations made by the senior Congress leader regarding irregularities in the electoral process , particularly in the Nagpur South West constituency —represented by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis . Rahul Gandhi’s Key Allegations Rahul Gandhi, in a series of public statements and a detailed post on social media platform X, has alleged the following: The voter list in Nagpur South West constituency witnessed an 8% growth within just five months . Certain polling booths saw a surge of 20–50% in registered voters. ...