As protests rage, lawyers body forms panel of ex-judges to examine SIR discrepancies

A five-member panel of former Supreme Court and high court judges has been formed to examine the constitutional validity, methodology and impact of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) said on October 2.

The independent commission will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur. Its other members are former Supreme Court judge Justice AK Patnaik, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Rekha Sharma and former Patna High Court judge Justice Anjana Prakash.

LAFC constituted the commission in response to concerns raised by citizens over the design, implementation and consequences of the SIR exercise undertaken by the ECI.

“The newly-formed independent commission … will function with complete autonomy to examine the constitutional and statutory validity, methodology and overall impact of the SIR exercise on eligible voters,” the association said in its press release.

The commission will examine whether the SIR exercise ensured that every eligible citizen remained on the electoral rolls while ineligible entries were appropriately excluded.

As part of the inquiry, the commission will conduct public hearings across the country. Full and regional benches will travel to different locations to record the testimonies of affected citizens, civil society groups and experts.

A dedicated Research Wing will collect and analyse data on additions and deletions from electoral rolls across the country and place the findings before the commission.

The commission will also have a Legal Support Team to examine relevant legislation, notifications and verification procedures and assess their compliance with constitutional safeguards.

Senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Chander Uday Singh, Prashanto Chandra Sen, Raju Ramachandran, Rebecca Mammen John, Warisha Farasat and Vrinda Grover will provide strategic legal advice to the commission.

The LAFC said the commission itself would retain sole responsibility for its findings and recommendations. “Neither the sponsoring organisations nor supporting committees will influence the substantive decisions, conclusions, or recommendations of the judges,” it said.

A coordination committee and secretariat housed at LAFC will provide operational support to the commission. The commission has set an intensive timeline for the inquiry and aims to release its final report publicly by December 2026.

The development comes amid ongoing concerns and debate over the SIR process. The commission constituted by LAFC is separate from the ECI and is an independent initiative of the lawyers’ association.