Lawyers’ body forms panel of former SC, HC judges to examine SIR’s validity

The Commission aims to complete its inquiry and release its final report to the public by December 2026.

Published Oct 03, 2026 | 10:55 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 03, 2026 | 10:57 AM

SIR

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Synopsis: The commission will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur and will comprise former Supreme Court judge Justice AK Patnaik, former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed, and former High Court judges of Delhi and Patna, Justices Rekha Sharma and Anjana Prakash.

The Lawyers’ Association for Constitution (LAFC) on Friday, 2 October, constituted an independent five-member commission of former Supreme Court and High Court judges to examine the constitutional and statutory validity, methodology, and overall impact of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise on eligible voters.

The commission will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur and will comprise former Supreme Court judge Justice AK Patnaik, former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed, and former High Court judges of Delhi and Patna, Justices Rekha Sharma and Anjana Prakash.

According to the press release by LAFC, the Commission will independently evaluate whether the SIR exercise ensured that every eligible citizen was retained while ineligible entries were properly excluded.

Key elements of the inquiry include:

Nationwide Public Hearings: Full and regional benches of the Commission will travel across the country to hear testimony directly from affected citizens, civil society groups, and experts.
Empirical & Field Research: A dedicated Research Wing will collate and analyse the data regarding voter roll additions/deletions across the country and present it before the Commission.
Legal Scrutiny: A Legal Support Team will review relevant legislation, notifications, and verification processes to assess compliance with constitutional safeguards.

The Commission aims to complete its inquiry and release its final report to the public by December 2026.

Senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Chander Uday Singh, Prashanto Chandra Sen, Raju Ramachandran, Rebecca Mammen John, Warisha Farasat and Vrinda Grover will provide legal assistance, while a coordination team featuring prominent civic voices will facilitate operational support, according to LAFC.

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(Edited by Sumavarsha)