In the petition, the government pointed out that conducting the SIR at this juncture would strain the government machinery.
Published Nov 18, 2025 | 10:38 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 18, 2025 | 10:38 AM
Election Commission of India. (iStock)
Synopsis: The Kerala government approached the Supreme Court seeking an immediate halt to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll, citing a potential administrative breakdown if the process continues alongside the local body elections currently underway in the state.
The Kerala government approached the Supreme Court seeking an immediate halt to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, citing a potential administrative breakdown if the process continues alongside the local body elections currently underway in the state.
Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak, representing the state government, filed a writ petition before the apex court, arguing that the simultaneous deployment of personnel for both exercises would cripple the routine functioning of the administration.
In the petition, the government pointed out that conducting the SIR at this juncture would strain the government machinery.
According to the plea, 1,76,000 officials have already been deployed for the conduct of local body elections. An additional 68,000 police personnel are involved in ensuring security. The SIR process requires 25,668 more officials, creating a situation that the government warned would lead to “administrative gridlock.”
The petition stressed that the constitutional mandate requires newly elected local body governing bodies to assume office by 21 December, making the election process non-negotiable and resource-intensive.
Deploying government staff simultaneously for SIR would, the state argued, disrupt essential services.
The Chief Secretary also informed the Supreme Court that hurriedly undertaking the SIR could result in widespread errors in the voters’ roll, defeating the very purpose of the review. The state government had earlier moved the Kerala High Court, challenging the timing of the SIR.
Justice VG Arun, after hearing both the state government and the Election Commission of India (ECI), observed that it would be more appropriate for the government to seek relief from the Supreme Court.
Following this, Chief Secretary Jayathilak submitted the plea before the apex court seeking a direction to temporarily suspend the SIR process until the completion of local body elections.
The writ petition was filed by the state’s standing counsel CK Sasi on behalf of the government. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the petition soon, even as the process for the local body elections progresses across Kerala.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
