DMK Moves SC Against SIR Of Tamil Nadu Electoral Rolls, Calls It 'De Facto NRC' Exercise

The DMK has filed a petition against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision directive in Tamil Nadu, claiming potential voter disenfranchisement and constitutional violations. The party argues that the ECI's actions could lead to mass exclusions from electoral rolls.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court, contesting the Election Commission of India's (ECI) directive for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. The petition, submitted by R.S. Bharathi, a party leader and former Rajya Sabha MP, accuses the move as "arbitrary, unreasonable, and violative of the Constitution".

Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the plea seeks to annul the ECI's order from October 27. This order extended the SIR process—initially started in Bihar in June—to several states, including Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh. The petition argues that if these orders remain unchallenged, they could unjustly disenfranchise millions of voters.

Constitutional Concerns Raised

The DMK's plea claims that the ECI's decision breaches Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution. It also contravenes provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The petition describes this exercise as "a colourable exercise of power", likening it to a "de facto National Register of Citizens (NRC)" by imposing citizenship-like proof burdens on registered voters.

"The Respondent (Election Commission of India) does not have the power to assess the citizenship of individuals… By imposing citizenship-like burdens of proof, the SIR appears to be acting beyond its statutory purpose," states the plea, according to a report in the IANS. It further notes that Tamil Nadu had already completed a Special Summary Revision of its electoral rolls in January 2025.

Concerns Over Voter Exclusion

The petition points out alleged issues with Bihar's ongoing SIR process where "65.2 lakh existing electors were deleted" from rolls. It warns that similar mass voter exclusions could occur in Tamil Nadu if this directive is implemented. The plea calls for judicial intervention to declare ECI's October 27 directive unconstitutional.

Last month, ECI announced plans for a second phase of SIR across 12 states and Union Territories with final voter lists to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase was completed successfully in Bihar before assembly polls. States covered include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The DMK argues that directing another de novo verification is "unnecessary" and lacks statutory justification since Tamil Nadu's previous revision was deemed adequate for upcoming Assembly elections.