The Kerala Government has moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI), requesting that the exercise be deferred until the State completes its local body election process.

In a writ petition filed under Article 32, the State contends that running the SIR parallel to local body elections will lead to serious administrative hurdles and may affect the smooth conduct of the polls. Kerala has clarified that while it reserves its right to challenge the SIR itself, the present plea is restricted to seeking its postponement.

The petition notes that Kerala has nearly 1,200 Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGIs)—941 Grama Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, 14 District Panchayats, 87 Municipalities, and 6 Corporations—covering 23,612 wards. Elections are scheduled in two phases on December 9 and 11. Meanwhile, the SIR began on November 4, with draft rolls set to be published on December 4, compressing the entire revision process into one month.

Relying on Articles 243-E and 243-U of the Constitution, along with Section 38 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and Section 94 of the Kerala Municipality Act, the State stresses that LSGI elections must be conducted within five years of the first sitting of the previous councils, meaning the new members must assume office before December 21. Conducting an SIR during this period, it says, could trigger an “administrative impasse”.

Kerala submits that the LSGI elections require about 1,76,000 staff, in addition to 68,000 security personnel, while the SIR needs another 25,668 officials. This cumulative burden, according to the State, severely strains administrative machinery and risks paralysing routine governance. The Chief Secretary had also written to the Chief Election Commissioner on November 5 seeking deferment, but received no response.

The State emphasises that, unlike local body elections which are bound by a strict constitutional timeline, the SIR carries no comparable mandate. In the absence of any compelling reasons from the ECI for a special revision in Kerala, no prejudice would be caused to any stakeholder if the SIR is postponed until after the elections, the petition states, represented by Standing Counsel C.K. Sasi.

Last week, Kerala had approached the Kerala High Court with the same request, but the Court declined to intervene and advised the State to approach the Supreme Court, which is already considering SIR-related matters. Separately, the Indian Union Muslim League has also challenged the SIR notification.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is currently hearing petitions connected with the SIR and has listed the matters for November 26.

Case: State of Kerala v. Election Commission of India & Ors.