Kerala govt asks Supreme Court to defer SIR to after local body polls

The Kerala government has approached the Supreme Court against the Special Interim Revision (SIR) exercise currently underway in the state, saying the manner in which it is being undertaken is "not conducive to the democratic polity of the country" and warned of 'administrative impasse" if the SIR is permitted to continue alongside the local body elections in December.

The state government sought deferment of the SIR until the ongoing process for Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGI) in the state is completed. It said that conducting the SIR simultaneously with local body elections will create significant administrative complications and potentially disrupt the smooth conduct of the local polls.

 

Further, it will possibly result in an administrative impasse in the state, the plea said

"Issue direction commanding respondents 1 to 3 (poll panel) to defer the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls in the state of Kerala till December 21, that is till the completion of the process of the 2025 general elections to the Local Self Government Institutions in the state," said the petition, filed through the Chief Secretary of the state.

It was submitted that Kerala has 1,200 local bodies with 23,612 wards. The last elections were held in December 2020.

The plea argued that the Kerala State Election Commission has fixed December 9 and 11 as the dates for the local body elections, with the vote count scheduled to begin on December 13. The entire election process is expected to conclude by December 18, it said.

It further pointed out that the deadline for enumeration for the SIR was set at December 4, and the details are expected to be submitted by December 9. February 7, 2026, is the date set for the publication of the final revised electoral rolls. These timelines directly clash with the local body election schedule, the state government said.

The petition states that local body elections require 1.76 lakh personnel from the government and quasi-governmental services, in addition to 68,000 police and other security personnel.

The SIR would require an additional 25,668 personnel, which would put a severe strain on the state administration, bringing routine administrative work to a standstill, the plea stated.

The same trained staff cannot be deployed for both exercises, the plea states, as it warns of an administrative impasse if the SIR is permitted to continue alongside the local body elections.

Earlier, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) approached the apex court seeking an immediate halt to the SIR exercise currently underway in Kerala, saying it cannot be conducted simultaneously with the ongoing local body elections.

ECI had last month announced that it will conduct the second phase of SIR of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase of the SIR was completed in Bihar before the assembly polls.

The 2nd phase of SIR will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.