We respect judiciary, will wait for its decision: Congress on Kerala SIR plea

New Delhi, Nov 21
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput on Friday reacted to the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on the Kerala government’s plea seeking postponement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGI) elections, saying that "we respect the judiciary and we will wait for its decision."

Speaking to IANS, he said, “The hearing will take place, and we will wait for it. We are people who respect the judiciary and the Constitution of the country. Whatever decision comes after the hearing, we will issue our statement accordingly.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the plea on Friday, which seeks a deferment of the SIR exercise in view of the approaching local body polls in Kerala.

On Wednesday, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai agreed to list the petition after the counsel informed the court that the SIR process is currently underway, despite elections being scheduled for the second week of December.

The Kerala government itself filed the plea under Article 32, after the Kerala High Court last week declined to entertain its writ petition seeking deferment of the SIR process. The state has argued that carrying out the SIR simultaneously with the elections would create an “administrative impasse”, citing severe manpower constraints.

According to the petition, over 1,76,000 government and quasi-government personnel and 68,000 security staff are needed for the local body elections. The SIR, however, requires an additional 25,668 officials, many drawn from the same limited pool of trained election staff, raising concerns about overextension and possible disruption in election management.

The plea also highlighted statutory deadlines under the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 and the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, emphasising that the elections must be completed before December 21, 2025.

The government stressed that conducting SIR alongside the polls could strain the administration and adversely affect the smooth conduct of elections.

Rajput’s statement reflects the Congress party’s position to respect the judicial process, while the state government seeks clarity on the feasibility of running both exercises concurrently.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday will determine whether the SIR schedule can proceed or if the electoral revision will be postponed to ensure a seamless conduct of LSGI elections.