Delhi SIR: SC to hear plea seeking disclosure of notices, flagging reasons

Petitioners seek a searchable database of electors served notices and disclosure of the criteria used to flag records for 'No Mapping' and 'Logical Discrepancies'

The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea seeking greater transparency in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, particularly over the non-disclosure of voters who have been served notices and the reasons for flagging their records.

The petition, filed by Anjali Bharadwaj and Amrita Johri through advocate Prashant Bhushan, alleges that the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer have not published the names of electors who received notices under categories such as “No Mapping” and “Logical Discrepancies”.

The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday for urgent listing. Bhushan submitted that, in addition to around 47 lakh electors left out of the draft roll, notices have been issued to nearly 33 lakh voters. He also alleged that the notices served on electors do not adequately explain the basis on which their records have been flagged.

The Chief Justice indicated that the petition would be taken up on Tuesday along with other matters concerning the Delhi SIR.

Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the petition alleges violations of Articles 14, 19 and 21, as well as Articles 325 and 326.