NEW DELHI: Defending its SIR exercise, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that its order on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in various states is legislative in character and lays down a complete set of prescribed principles and documents.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, was hearing pleas challenging the EC’s SIR of electoral rolls undertaken in several states, including Bihar and poll bound West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll body, said, "Our SIR order is legislative in character. It lays down a complete set of principles and documents prescribed. It is a general order applicable to the whole country, except the Assam case."
Citing legal schemes governing the preparation and revision of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections, Dwivedi said the SIR does not proceed on the assumption that every elector must submit documentary proof. "It is not a case where no presumption has been attached at all," he said.
Dwivedi sought to assure the court and the petitioners that the nature of the SIR inquiry is fundamentally different from ordinary verification exercises. The senior lawyer added that if a voter could establish lineage to earlier entries, no documents were required, and documents were sought only in cases where such linkage could not be established.
Arguments remained inconclusive on Tuesday and are set to continue on Wednesday.