"Revising the electoral rolls must balance purity of the rolls with inclusion." Discuss in the context of the Special Intensive Revision.

Article 326 guarantees universal adult franchise, and Article 324 gives the Election Commission of India (ECI) control over electoral rolls. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a house-to-house re-verification of the rolls. It tests whether clean rolls can be secured without excluding genuine voters.

Purity: why revision is needed

• Fair elections: In May 2026 the Supreme Court upheld the SIR and linked accurate rolls to free and fair polls [1].
• ASDD clean-up: Removing Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate entries cuts down impersonation and bogus voting.
• Limited citizenship check: The ECI may examine citizenship only to decide roll eligibility. The final decision stays with authorities under the Citizenship Act, 1955 [1].

Inclusion: where revision risks exclusion

• Error-prone deletions: In Bihar, about 65 lakh draft deletions fell to about 47 lakh after claims. Electors went from 7.89 crore to 7.42 crore [1], so about 18 lakh first-round deletions were reversed.
• Vulnerable categories: Petitioners say about 43 lakh of Delhi's 47 lakh exclusions were marked "shifted/absent" [2]. These labels hit migrants, tenants and the urban poor hardest.
• Reversed burden: Deleted voters were told to file Form 6, which is meant for new voters. That exposes them to false-declaration risk under Section 31 of the RP Act, 1950. The ECI's assurance of no action is conditional [3]. The Supreme Court questioned this and suggested Form 8 or enumeration forms instead [4].
• Due process: Lal Babu Hussein (1995) requires notice and a hearing before a name is deleted.

Balancing the two

• Easier claims: In 2025 the Supreme Court let deleted Bihar voters file claims online with Aadhaar [5].
• Flexible deadlines: The ECI told the Court it would consider accepting late enumeration forms [4].
• Rule reform: Amend the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 to add a re-inclusion form for voters who were enrolled before.
• Transparency: Publish deletion lists with reasons. Require booth officers to revisit before marking anyone "absent".

Purity and inclusion work together: a roll that excludes genuine voters is as flawed as one with bogus entries. The way forward is a fair, transparent process where the burden of proof falls on the State, not the citizen. That keeps the SIR true to Article 326 and to SDG 16's goal of inclusive institutions.