Kochi, Nov 13 (NationPress) The Kerala High Court on Thursday recommended that the Vijayan government seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to postpone the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the state.

Justice V.G. Arun, who presided over the plea from the state government, noted that similar petitions regarding the SIR are already pending before the Supreme Court from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, making it prudent for Kerala to also approach the apex court.

Advocate General Gopalakrishna Kurup, representing the government, clarified that the petition does not challenge the legitimacy of the SIR but merely requests a delay.

“This writ petition exclusively seeks the postponement of the SIR in Kerala,” he told the court.

The Bench has reserved its decision, which is expected to be announced on Friday.

The state government’s request highlighted administrative and logistical challenges posed by the upcoming two-phase local body elections on December 9 and 11.

These elections will necessitate the deployment of approximately 1.76 lakh government employees and 68,000 security personnel, while the SIR process would require an additional 25,668 staff members.

“This creates a significant burden on the state administration, halting routine operations,” the petition stated.

Furthermore, the government pointed out that while there exists a constitutional requirement to complete local elections by December 21, there is no urgent need for the SIR, as the next Assembly elections in Kerala are not scheduled until May 2026.

Senior Counsel Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, contended that the revision is crucial before the Assembly elections next year.

He maintained that both election commissions are working closely together and that claims of an administrative deadlock are “completely unfounded”.

The state government's legal action follows weeks of political opposition to the SIR throughout Kerala.

In September, the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution opposing the revision, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cautioning that it might serve as a “backdoor attempt” to implement an NRC-style initiative.

Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan also labeled it a “hasty and poorly conceived” process that could disenfranchise legitimate voters.

Earlier this month, an all-party meeting, excluding the BJP, urged the government to seek judicial intervention, leading to Thursday’s High Court session.