The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, upheld the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s authority to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, ruling that the exercise falls squarely within the constitutional and statutory powers of the poll body. The verdict has drawn broad endorsement from prominent Islamic religious scholars, who called on all stakeholders to accept the outcome without reservation.

What the Supreme Court Ruled

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi held that the SIR exercise did not violate the provisions of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950, or the rules framed thereunder. The bench further ruled that the ECI was empowered to undertake such a revision under Article 324 of the Constitution read with Section 21(3) of the RPA, affirming that the exercise was aimed at preserving the integrity of the electoral process.

Muslim Leaders Welcome the Verdict

All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi welcomed the judgment, pointing to recent Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Puducherry, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu as evidence of the ECI's impartiality. 'There is no question of any discrepancy by the Election Commission of India in this. There are no grounds of any objection by anyone,' he said.

Maulana Bareilvi also underscored the practical necessity of the SIR, noting that electoral rolls often carry the names of voters who are either deceased or have relocated, making a thorough revision essential for clean and accurate rolls.

All India Shia Personal Law Board Responds

All India Shia Personal Law Board General Secretary Maulana Mirza Mohammad Yasoob Abbas urged restraint in public commentary. 'There is no need for anyone to cast aspersions on the judgment of the country's apex court. There is no point in commenting on it now,' he said. He added that raising objections against the highest court of the land amounts to questioning the nation's entire judicial system — a line, he argued, no responsible voice should cross.

Why the SIR Became Contentious

The SIR had drawn political controversy before reaching the Supreme Court, with critics questioning whether the revision exercise could be used to selectively alter voter lists. The apex court's unambiguous ruling closes that debate at the legal level, though political discourse around electoral roll accuracy is likely to continue. Notably, this verdict reinforces a broader pattern of the Supreme Court affirming the ECI's constitutional autonomy in managing the electoral process.

What Comes Next

With the Supreme Court's endorsement now on record, the ECI is expected to proceed with the SIR exercise across the relevant constituencies. Religious and civil society voices that had expressed reservations now face pressure to engage constructively with the revision process rather than contest its legitimacy. The ruling is likely to be cited in any future legal challenges to ECI-initiated electoral roll exercises.