‘Clever petition’: EC counsel hits out as Kerala govt seeks to halt SIR during local polls

Kochi: Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday advised the Vijayan government to approach the Supreme Court for deferment of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the state.

Justice V.G. Arun, hearing the government’s plea, noted that similar petitions challenging the SIR were pending before the Supreme Court from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. “It would be appropriate for Kerala also to move the apex court,” he said. The Kerala government’s plea comes just days after the State Election Commission announced the schedule for the upcoming local body elections in the state.

Government seeks only postponement, not validity challenge

Advocate General Gopalakrishna Kurup clarified that the petition did not question the SIR’s validity but sought only its deferment.

“The writ petition is strictly limited to seeking deferment of the SIR in Kerala,” he told the court.

The Bench reserved its verdict, which is expected on Friday.

Administrative strain cited due to local body elections

The government’s plea highlighted administrative and logistical challenges arising from the upcoming two-phase local body elections on December 9 and 11. It stated that about 1.76 lakh government employees and 68,000 security personnel would be deployed, while the SIR would require an additional 25,668 staff.

“This puts a severe strain on the state administration, bringing routine work to a standstill,” the petition said.

It added that while local polls must be completed before December 21, there is no constitutional urgency for the SIR, as Kerala’s Assembly elections are due only by May 2026.

ECI defends timing of revision

Senior Counsel Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, argued that the revision was essential ahead of next year’s Assembly polls. He stated that both election commissions were coordinating closely and dismissed claims of administrative disruption as “wholly unfounded”.

Dwivedi also described the petition as “clever”, suggesting the government’s approach was aimed at delaying the SIR indefinitely.

“This seems to be the ulterior motive...the people are not objecting. EC not objecting. Look at the legality part of it, my Lord,” he said, according to Live Law X platform updates.

Political opposition to SIR in Kerala

The legal move follows weeks of political resistance to the SIR in Kerala. In September, the Assembly passed a unanimous resolution opposing the revision, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warning it could serve as a “backdoor attempt” to introduce an NRC-style exercise.

Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan criticised the SIR as a “hurried and ill-conceived” process that risked disenfranchising genuine voters.

Earlier this month, an all-party meeting, excluding the BJP, urged the government to seek judicial intervention, culminating in Thursday’s High Court hearing.