Karnataka Law and Tourism Minister H.K. Patil on 21 May 2026 said the state government would take every possible measure to safeguard citizens' voting rights if the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was found to deprive them of their franchise. The minister made the remarks while briefing reporters after the Karnataka cabinet meeting held in Bengaluru.

Cabinet's Stand on the SIR Process

Patil alleged that the SIR exercise had led to the deletion of voting rights of nearly 27 lakh people in states such as West Bengal, raising serious concerns over the transparency and implementation of the process. He said the cabinet held extensive discussions on alleged irregularities, shortcomings, and objections surrounding the SIR.

"If any process unnecessarily deprives a citizen of his or her voting rights, the government will consider taking all possible measures to safeguard that right," Patil said. He added that more detailed deliberations were needed on the final electoral roll and the SIR's transparency, with a decision expected shortly.

Notably, the state government is also reportedly considering approaching the Supreme Court over the issue — a move that would mark a direct constitutional challenge to the electoral roll revision process.

Key Cabinet Decisions on Infrastructure and Education

Beyond the electoral roll debate, the cabinet cleared several significant spending proposals. Administrative approval was granted for the construction of a new 200-bed super-speciality hospital at the Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences campus at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore.

Under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), the cabinet approved the procurement of pre-school education kits for 69,922 anganwadi centres at a unit cost of ₹3,000, with a total estimated outlay of ₹20.98 crore.

Under the Karnataka State Higher Education Transformation (KSHET) project, assisted by the Asian Development Bank, advance procurement of materials worth ₹802 crore was approved for 53 government degree colleges, polytechnics, 14 government centres of excellence, and the Project Management Unit, in line with the Union Finance Ministry's Department of Economic Affairs loan norms.

Coaching Support for Backward Class Students

The cabinet also cleared a ₹15 crore programme to provide 500 backward class students with two years of residential pre-university science education along with NEET/JEE/CET coaching. Students will be selected from government schools based on their Class 10 board exam scores in mathematics and science, with 15 students chosen per district.

Human Rights Commission Chair Appointed

In a separate development, retired High Court judge Justice P.N. Desai was selected as Chairperson of the Karnataka Human Rights Commission. The appointment decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, attended by Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader, Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka, Legislative Council Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and the Home Minister.

Additionally, the cabinet decided to place before it — after legal scrutiny — a proposal to consider the promotion of KAS officer Sushilamma N. and three others to the IAS cadre, in accordance with a Central Administrative Tribunal order dated 16 March 2026. Minister Patil clarified that no discussion took place regarding the upcoming monsoon session of the legislature.