New Delhi: The Chief Secretary of Kerala has approached the Supreme Court, requesting that SIR (Special Intensive Revision) operations in the state be urgently stayed until the local body elections are completed. The plea highlights that conducting SIR operations and local elections simultaneously could lead to administrative paralysis.

Currently, local body election procedures are underway in Kerala, with new governing bodies scheduled to assume office on or before December 21. This is a constitutional requirement. To conduct the local elections, 1,76,000 personnel have been deployed, along with an additional 68,000 staff, including police, for security arrangements.

Meanwhile, SIR operations in Kerala require 25,668 personnel. The Chief Secretary, Dr Jayathilak, informed the Supreme Court that running both exercises simultaneously would strain administrative resources, potentially causing governance disruptions. The plea also warned that hurried implementation of SIR operations could lead to widespread errors.

The writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court by Standing Counsel for the State of Kerala C K Sasi on behalf of the Chief Secretary.