Supreme Court Upholds 2002 Base Year for SIR of Sikkim Electoral Rolls

Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in the Election Commission’s decision to use 2002 as the qualifying base year for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Sikkim.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by an NGO seeking the use of 1993 instead of 2002 as the reference year for the revision exercise.

The court dismissed the plea, noting that the Election Commission has adopted 2002 as the common base year for the ongoing SIR process in several states, as the last comprehensive revision of electoral rolls was carried out that year.

While refusing to alter the Election Commission’s decision, the bench left room for the petitioner to seek relief from the poll panel itself.

The court said the NGO could approach the Election Commission with a request for a reasonable exemption if it had specific grounds for seeking a different base year in Sikkim.

The ruling comes as the Election Commission continues its Special Intensive Revision exercise aimed at updating and verifying electoral rolls.

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