The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) authority to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, ruling that the exercise does not violate any constitutional or statutory provision.

Delivering its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the SIR process in Bihar, the apex court said the ECI has the constitutional power to revise electoral rolls under the Representation of the People Act and the broader constitutional framework governing elections.

The court further observed that the SIR exercise has a direct connection with ensuring free and fair elections. It also upheld the poll body’s authority to scrutinise citizenship during the revision process.

However, the Supreme Court clarified that exclusion of a person’s name from the electoral roll would not automatically result in loss of citizenship. It directed the ECI to refer cases involving citizenship-related deletions to the competent authority for proper adjudication.

The SIR exercise was launched by the Election Commission in Bihar in June last year to identify and remove bogus, duplicate and ineligible voters, including deceased individuals and alleged illegal immigrants.

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The exercise had triggered criticism from Opposition parties, which accused the poll body of carrying out a politically motivated voter roll clean-up drive.

The Supreme Court, however, said the revision process was based on a legitimate constitutional purpose and incorporated adequate procedural safeguards.