The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Election Commission of India (ECI) over reports that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being obstructed in some states, directing the poll body to take “serious note” of the alleged lack of cooperation by state governments.
A Bench of the top court told the ECI to bring to its notice specific instances of non-cooperation or threats faced by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing SIR exercise, saying it would “pass orders” if work continued to be hindered.
During the hearing, the Commission informed the court that it has “all constitutional powers to deal with the threatening of BLOs and other officials engaged in SIR work.”
The remarks come as the SIR — a ground-level verification exercise crucial to ensuring updated and accurate electoral rolls — has drawn political pushback in several regions, with allegations of harassment and obstruction of ECI-appointed staff.