Former Judges to Put Voter-Roll Revision Under the Constitutional Lens
An independent commission formed by the Lawyers’ Association for Constitution will examine the legality, methodology and voter impact of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision.
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
2 October 2026-A panel of five former judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts is to undertake an independent examination of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, following concerns raised by citizens about how the exercise was designed and carried out.
The commission has been constituted by the Lawyers’ Association for Constitution (LAFC). It will be chaired by former Supreme Court Justice M.B. Lokur.
Its members are former Supreme Court Justice A.K. Patnaik; former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad; former Delhi High Court Justice Rekha Sharma; and former Patna High Court Justice Anjana Prakash.
At the heart of the inquiry is a question with direct consequences for the electorate did the revision process safeguard the place of every eligible citizen on the rolls, while ensuring that entries belonging to ineligible persons were dealt with appropriately?
The commission is expected to examine the exercise’s constitutional and statutory footing, the methods used to conduct it, and its broader effects on voters.
The inquiry is also intended to hear from people and organisations with first-hand experience of the process. The commission plans to hold public hearings in different parts of the country, using full and regional benches. Affected citizens, civil-society groups and subject-matter experts will have an opportunity to present testimony.
Supporting that work, a dedicated research wing will gather and analyse information about additions to and deletions from electoral rolls nationwide.
A separate legal support team will review the relevant laws, notifications and verification procedures, including whether the applicable constitutional safeguards were observed.
A group of senior advocates and lawyers will provide legal assistance. Those named include Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Chander Uday Singh, Prashanto Chandra Sen and Raju Ramachandran, as well as Rebecca Mammen John, Warisha Farasat and Vrinda Grover.
The LAFC’s announcement states that the former judges will retain responsibility for the commission’s findings and recommendations.
The sponsoring association and supporting committees, it says, are not to influence the substance of the inquiry.
The association will provide administrative support through a coordination committee and secretariat.
The commission aims to complete its work and publish a final report by December 2026. Its conclusions will follow the inquiry; the announcement of its formation does not itself determine the legality or effects of the SIR.
