Supreme Court Upholds Bihar Special Intensive Revision

On 27 May 2026, the Supreme Court of India upheld the legality and constitutional validity of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The bench comprised Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls

The Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is an electoral roll revision exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India. The Bihar exercise covered about 7.9 crore registered voters and ended with a final electoral roll of 7.42 crore electors.

Constitutional and Statutory Basis

The Supreme Court held that the Election Commission of India can conduct the Special Intensive Revision under Article 324 of the Constitution. The Court also read Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with Article 324 for this purpose. Article 324 vests the superintendence, direction and control of elections in the Election Commission of India. Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.

Citizenship and Electoral Rolls

The Court stated that the Election Commission of India can examine citizenship questions for electoral purposes. The Court also stated that the Commission cannot make final determinations on citizenship status, which fall within the jurisdiction of competent authorities under the Citizenship Act. The Court directed the Election Commission of India to refer cases of deletion from the 2003 electoral rolls on grounds of non-citizenship to a competent authority under the Citizenship Act within four weeks. If a person is found to be a citizen, the name must be restored to the electoral roll.

Important Facts for Exams

• Article 324 of the Constitution gives the Election Commission of India control over elections in India.
• The Representation of the People Act, 1950, provides the legal framework for electoral rolls.
• The Citizenship Act governs citizenship adjudication in India.
• The Association for Democratic Reforms is a public interest organisation known for election-related litigation.

Revision Exercise in Other States

The Special Intensive Revision process was also carried out in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The exercise was linked to rapid urbanisation, migration, duplication of entries and a long gap since the last intensive revision.