The Kerala government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to halt the SIR process amidst the local body elections. The government argues that continuing the process will affect election administration and increase complexities in the voter list.
New Delhi: Amidst the local body elections in Kerala, the state government has approached the Supreme Court. The government has filed a petition against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the voter list and sought an immediate stay. The state argues that continuing this process at this time could affect the electoral system and administrative functions.
Chief Secretary Dr. A. Jayathilak has filed the petition on behalf of the government in the Supreme Court. The petition clarifies that the steps being taken during the SIR process are not conducive to the country's democratic structure and the state's political stability. The government has urged the court to order a halt to this process until the local body elections are concluded.
Conflict Between Local Body Elections and SIR Process
In Kerala, new councils or bodies are scheduled to take charge in local self-government institutions on December 21. In this context, the state government has expressed concern that if the SIR process continues at this time, it could lead to administrative deadlock and increased complexities related to the voter list after the elections.
The government stated in its petition that conducting the election process and SIR proceedings simultaneously would affect efficiency. This is why Kerala has urged the Supreme Court to order an immediate halt to all SIR activities until December 21.
Approaching the Supreme Court Directly After High Court's Decision
Previously, the state government had taken this matter to the High Court. However, the High Court stated that all other petitions related to SIR were pending in the Supreme Court. Therefore, the High Court advised the government to approach the Supreme Court directly. Following this, the Kerala government filed a petition in the apex court.
Current Status of SIR Process in Kerala
In Kerala, similar to 11 other states, the voter list purification campaign has been ongoing since November 4. Under this process, enumeration forms have been delivered to 96.15 percent of the state's voters. So far, a total of 24,468 Booth Level Officers and 54,624 BLAs have distributed 2,67,78,609 forms door-to-door.
Out of the filled forms, 1.04 percent, approximately 2,89,795 forms, have also been digitized. This process clearly indicates that the SIR proceedings are ongoing on a large scale, and halting it would have a widespread administrative impact.
Kerala Government's Argument
The Kerala government states that the local body election process is currently underway in the state. Concurrently, the SIR process has also begun. The government argues that if both the election process and SIR proceed simultaneously, it will create complexities in the voter list and election administration.
The petition also mentions the possibility of administrative disruption during the elections, which could adversely affect the democratic process. The government has requested the Supreme Court to issue an immediate order to halt it.
Supreme Court Hearing Date
The Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing for this matter until Friday. The Kerala government's lawyer had demanded that the case be heard yesterday. However, the Chief Justice rejected this request, stating that the hearing would only take place on Friday.
