After DMK, IUML strikes SC towards SIR

Kerala-based Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Monday (November 17, 2025) challenged the enlargement of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the train has been intentionally timed by the Election Commission of India to collide with the native physique elections and put pointless stress on State officers, pass over NRI voters within the State and exclude as many citizens as potential from the draft voter listing.

The IUML petition filed by common secretary P.Ok. Kunhalikutty, represented by advocate Haris Beeran, mentioned the period of the SIR from November 4 to December 4 in Kerala was “loaded with ulterior motives”.

It mentioned the State Election Commission had issued a notification on November 11 for the conduct of the native physique elections in Kerala.

The ballot schedule signifies that the polling can be held throughout the State in two phases on December 9 and December 11, and outcomes can be declared on December 13.

“The Model Code of Conduct has come into pressure within the State. It is at this stage and in the identical interval that the ECI has stipulated SIR for Kerala. This implies that the State and its equipment can be absolutely pre-occupied with the native physique elections and, concurrently, the SIR needs to be additionally carried out. This creates a state of affairs the place the State equipment, together with the Booth Level Officers (BLO) wouldn’t be able to conduct SIR due to the stress of labor on each counts,” the petition famous.

The occasion submitted that BLOs have already been complaining that their day by day work schedule stretched from 7 am to eight pm even throughout weekends.

“It is humanly inconceivable for them to cowl the homes and to distribute the enumeration varieties. The means of visiting the homes needs to be carried out 3 times. The stress of labor of the BLOs has come to such an extent that it has led to the extent of suicide of a BLO Aneesh George in Kerala. Similarly one other case of suicide of a BLO has been registered in Rajasthan,” IUML submitted.

The occasion agreed with Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) occasion that SIR was really a “de-novo verification of all current electors”,

Kerala had concluded a complete Special Summary Revision and revealed the ultimate electoral rolls on January 6, 2025. Continuous revision of electoral roll is going on beneath Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

“There exists no factual or administrative necessity for reopening the electoral rolls beneath an SIR,” IUML contended.

‘NRI voters disregarded’

Besides, the occasion raised the spectre of NRI voters being disregarded of the electoral roll.

“In Kerala, there’s a good share of NRI voters who’re residing overseas for the aim of employment, enterprise and different functions,” the petition mentioned.

Although the ECI has talked about a web based registration facility, the BLOs must bodily come and confirm whether or not an NRI was in-fact a resident of the deal with given within the enumeration type.

“If the NRI just isn’t current when the BLO comes for verification, she or he can be excluded from the voter listing of the State,” the occasion argued.