Special Intensive Revision

Also called: SIR · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 7 "Elections"

Meaning

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a fresh, house-to-house count of every voter in an area (re-enumeration). The Election Commission of India (ECI) orders it under s.21(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1950 read with Article 324. Every voter must fill in a form again. Eligible people, such as new 18-year-olds, are added. Entries for people who are dead, have shifted, are listed twice or cannot be found are removed. Claims and objections are heard before the final roll is published [2].

It matters because only a person whose name is on the electoral roll can vote. A clean roll protects "one person, one vote". The SIR also moves part of the burden of proof onto voters, which raised fears that many would be left out. The Bihar SIR of 2025 led to a major Supreme Court judgment, ADR v. ECI (2026), and the exercise is now being carried out across India in phases.

Explanation

How the SIR differs from routine revision

• The electoral roll is the official list of voters for each constituency, arranged polling station by polling station.

• Each person can have only one entry, in only one constituency (ss.17-18).

• Summary revision (s.21(2)) happens every year.

• A draft roll is published, claims and objections are heard, and then the final roll is published.

• Households are not counted again, and voters do not have to do anything.

• Special revision (s.21(3)) is different in four ways [2]:

• it can be ordered "at any time";
• it can cover any constituency or any part of one;
• the reasons must be recorded in writing;

• the ECI can carry it out "in such manner as it may think fit".

• Non-obstante clause: s.21(3) begins with the words "notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2)". So the normal rules of summary revision do not limit it. It was added by the 1956 amendment [2].

• The old roll stays valid until the new roll is final [2].
• The key difference: in an SIR, every voter must fill in a form again, and some voters must also give documents. In a summary revision, voters do nothing.

Steps of the SIR (Bihar model, 2025)

1. Order with recorded reasons. The ECI ordered the SIR on 24 June 2025 under Article 324 read with s.21(3) [2]. It gave three reasons [2]: - Bihar's last intensive revision was in 2003. - Fast urban growth and large-scale migration had changed the rolls since then. - Assembly elections were due in late 2025.

2. House-to-house enumeration. - Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are local government workers, often teachers or anganwadi workers. They gave each voter a pre-filled Enumeration Form (a form already printed with the voter's details). - The form had to be returned by 25 July 2025. Anyone who did not return it was left out of the draft roll [2].

3. Draft roll published on 1 August 2025 [2].

4. Claims and objections. - Form 6 is used to add a name. - Form 7 is used to object to or delete a name. - Form 8 is used to correct an entry or shift it to a new address.

5. Doubtful cases. The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO (AERO) issued a show-cause notice. The voter could reply. The officer then passed a reasoned order [2].

6. Final roll published on 30 September 2025 [2].
7. Appeals under s.24 read with Rule 27 [2]: - first appeal to the District Magistrate (s.24(a)); - second appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days (s.24(b)).

Documents and the citizenship question

• Citizenship comes first. Under s.16, citizenship is a "condition precedent": it must be shown before a name can go on the roll [2].
• The 2003 roll was treated as proof. Being on the 2003 roll (qualifying date 1 January 2003) counted as proof of eligibility unless someone disproved it (Clause 11 of the order) [2].
• Others had to give documents. A person not on the 2003 roll had to give one of 11 listed documents (Clause 12) [2].
• Aadhaar became the 12th document by the Supreme Court's order of 8 September 2025 [3]:
• It is proof of identity under s.23(4) of the RPA 1950.
• It is not proof of citizenship under the Aadhaar Act 2016.

• Officials may still check whether a card is genuine.

• EPIC and ration cards were not accepted [2]:

• The EPIC (voter ID card) is issued because a name is on the roll. So it cannot prove that the entry is correct.
• Ration cards are not reliable proof.

Limits and safeguards

• The ECI's citizenship inquiry is limited.
• The ECI may look into citizenship only for electoral purposes. Its finding is only a first-look (prima facie) view [2].

• The finding affects only whether the person stays on the roll. It is not a ruling on whether the person is a citizen [2].

• Doubtful citizenship cases go to the Centre.

• The ECI must refer them to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act 1955 [2].

• Any deletion on this ground depends on that authority's decision [2].

• Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules 1960: no name can be deleted without notice and a chance to be heard. The Court held that this right was kept "in substance" during the SIR [2].

• Safeguards ordered by the Court in 2025:
• The list of excluded names was published with reasons [2].
• Political parties' Booth Level Agents (BLAs) helped voters file forms [2].
• Para-legal volunteers from District Legal Services Authorities helped voters [2].
• Claims could be filed up to the last date of nominations [2].

In the Constitution and practice

• Constitutional and legal base:
• Article 324: the ECI supervises and controls the preparation of rolls.
• Article 325: there is one general roll for each constituency. Nobody can be kept off it only because of religion, race, caste or sex.
• Article 326: elections are held on adult suffrage (every citizen aged 18 or over can vote unless a law disqualifies them) [2].

• RPA 1950, s.21(3), inserted in 1956, is the specific power used for an SIR [2].

• Who carries it out:

• the ECI;
• the Chief Electoral Officer (s.13A);
• the ERO, usually of Sub-Divisional Magistrate rank (s.13B);
• BLOs, with BLAs watching their work.

• Under s.13CC, the officers who prepare rolls are treated as on deputation to the ECI. This means they work under the ECI's control during this work.

• Bihar SIR, 2025 (Phase I): the numbers

Stage	Date	Electors
Roll before SIR	24 June 2025	7.89 crore
Draft roll	1 August 2025	7.24 crore (about 65 lakh excluded)
Final roll	30 September 2025	7.42 crore

• About 65 lakh names were excluded at the draft stage [2]:
  • about 22 lakh were recorded as dead;
  • about 36 lakh had permanently shifted or could not be found;
  • about 7 lakh were enrolled in more than one place.
• From draft to final roll: 21.53 lakh names were added and 3.66 lakh more were deleted [2].

• Before the polls: the PIB reported zero appeals. 7,45,26,858 electors were eligible to vote in the two-phase Assembly election [6].

• Supreme Court interim orders, 2025 (Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi) [3]:

• 10 July: the Court framed three questions: did the ECI have the power, was the method fair, and was the timing right? It asked the ECI to consider Aadhaar, EPIC and ration cards [2].
• 14 August: the ECI had to publish the excluded names with reasons through newspapers, TV and radio [2].
• 22 August: 12 political parties were made parties to the case [2].

• 8 September: Aadhaar was added as the 12th document [3].

• ADR v. ECI (27 May 2026, 2026 INSC 564), decided by CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi [2]:

• Source of power: the SIR is "traceable to Section 21(3) of the RP Act read with Article 324" [2].
• Proportionality test (a test of whether a government step is fair in relation to its aim). The Court found that the SIR [2]:
  • had a legitimate aim;
  • was rationally linked to that aim;
  • was not excessive;
  • had enough safeguards.
• Being on the roll is presumed valid, but this can be disproved.
  • Lal Babu Hussein v. ERO (1995) said a name already on the roll cannot be removed without notice and a hearing.
  • The Court held that this rule applies to adjudicatory proceedings (one-off cases decided like a court case). It does not stop a systemic, inquisitorial revision of the whole roll [2].

• Directions [2]:

  • Bihar deletions made on citizenship grounds must be referred to the competent authority within 4 weeks.
  • That authority should decide them, after notice and a hearing, preferably before the next Parliamentary, Assembly or local body election, whichever comes first.
  • A person found to be a citizen must be put back on the roll.
  • People wrongly deleted as dead, shifted, absent or duplicate may seek judicial review (asking a court to check whether the decision was lawful).

• SIR across India:

• Phase II [7]:
  • covered 9 states and 3 UTs: about 51 crore electors, 321 districts and 1,843 Assembly constituencies;
  • ran from October 2025 to April 2026;
  • in some states and UTs the schedule was later pushed back [8].
• Phase III [8]:
  • covers the remaining 16 states and 3 UTs, including Delhi;
  • in Delhi, house-to-house visits ran from 30 June to 29 July 2026;
  • Delhi's final roll is due on 7 October 2026.

Don't confuse with

• Summary revision (s.21(2)): held every year, and households are not counted again. The SIR (s.21(3)) is a full re-count, can be ordered "at any time" with recorded reasons, and needs every voter to fill in a form.
• Continuous updation: names can be added all year. Applications received up to 10 days before the last date of nominations are dealt with for that election [5]. It adds names one by one. It does not rebuild the whole roll.
• The ECI's citizenship inquiry vs a ruling on citizenship: the ECI makes only a limited, prima facie inquiry for the roll. The final decision belongs to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act 1955 [2].
• RPA 1950 vs RPA 1951: the 1950 Act covers electoral rolls and the SIR power (s.21). The 1951 Act covers how elections are actually held.

Prelims Hooks

• SIR power: s.21(3) of the RPA 1950 read with Article 324. s.21(3) was inserted in 1956 and begins with a non-obstante clause [2].
• Aadhaar was the 12th document in the Bihar SIR (SC order, 8 September 2025). It is proof of identity under s.23(4) of the RPA 1950, not proof of citizenship [3].
• Trap: the EPIC was not accepted as a document in the SIR, because it comes from the roll itself [2].
• Bihar SIR figures: 7.89 crore (24 June 2025) → 7.24 crore draft (1 August 2025) → 7.42 crore final (30 September 2025) [2].
• Lal Babu Hussein (1995): notice and a hearing are needed before a name is removed. ADR v. ECI (2026) limited this rule to adjudicatory proceedings, not systemic revision [2].
• Appeal chain: ERO → District Magistrate (s.24(a)) → Chief Electoral Officer, within 30 days (s.24(b)) [2].

Mains Points

• Accurate rolls vs leaving people out:
• For the SIR: after 22 years of only summary revisions, Bihar's rolls held lakhs of dead, shifted or duplicate entries. Clean rolls protect "one person, one vote".
• Against the SIR: asking voters for documents moves the burden of proof onto them. Poor people, migrants and women are less likely to hold these papers.

• What the Court did: it balanced the two through the proportionality test and safeguards. These included published lists with reasons, Aadhaar as an accepted document, BLAs, legal-aid volunteers and two levels of appeal [2].

• Who decides citizenship:

• ADR v. ECI lets the ECI make only a limited inquiry for electoral purposes.
• The final decision stays with the competent authority under the Citizenship Act 1955, within a set time [2].

• This protects the ECI's role under Article 324 and also the rule of law under Article 21.

• Capacity and reform:

• Re-counting every household through BLOs who already have other government jobs raises questions about quality and timing, especially close to elections.
• Possible reforms:
  • hold intensive revisions regularly instead of once in two decades;
  • make full use of the four qualifying dates (1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October) from the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2021 [4];
  • set clear time limits for citizenship references;
  • fix duplicate EPIC numbers.

Related concepts

• Representation of the People Act 1950
• Electoral roll
• Qualifying date
• Ordinary residence
• Overseas elector
• Electoral Registration Officer
• Booth Level Officer
• Summary revision of electoral rolls
• Electors Photo Identity Card

Read more

• Electoral rolls: registration, revision and the Special Intensive Revision