NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to extend the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Keralam, observing that the process of correcting electoral records and seeking voter inclusion remains open.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, however, allowed petitioners to submit details of individuals who could not file their enumeration forms within the stipulated deadline. The Election Commission (EC) has been asked to examine the representations and submit a report to the court.
The bench also granted the poll panel four weeks to respond to allegations of large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls.
The petitioners had sought an extension, arguing that several people were unable to complete the enumeration process due to a shortage of time. Responding to the plea, the Chief Justice said the petitioners could identify those left out and bring their cases to the EC's notice.
"Find out wherever you feel there are persons who should still be given a chance or opportunity. Bring it to their notice by way of representation. We will tell them to examine it, and we will keep it pending," the CJI said.
When counsel pointed out that the verification exercise was scheduled to conclude on Friday and could be extended, the bench said there was no need to extend the deadline as the process was continuous.
"There is no need to extend time because it is a continuous process," the CJI observed.
Appearing for the Election Commission, senior advocate D S Naidu submitted that the exercise had been completed and that affected individuals could still approach the authorities for corrections through the prescribed procedure.
The court subsequently recorded that the petitioners could furnish details of those who had missed the deadline, directing the EC to examine their representations and submit a report.
The top court is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the SIR of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission in several states.
(With inputs from PTI)