New Delhi, Dec 2 (NationPress) The Supreme Court on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider a deadline extension for the submission of enumeration forms as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, ahead of the upcoming elections for the Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGIs) in the state.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued this directive while reviewing petitions from the Kerala government, which requested a delay in the SIR exercise, along with petitions from various political parties, including the CPI-M, CPI, and the Indian Union Muslim League, contesting the legitimacy of the ECI’s order for an intensive revision of the voter list.

During the proceedings, the ECI informed the CJI Kant-led Bench that the original deadline of December 4 had already been postponed to December 11.

Polling for local bodies in Kerala is set for December 9 and 11, with the counting of votes on December 13.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, stated that the SIR process is progressing without issues and would not disrupt the local body elections.

“Over 98 percent of forms have been distributed, and more than 88 percent have been digitized,” Dwivedi added, noting that the state government has designated a dedicated workforce of 25,468 personnel for the SIR, while 1.76 lakh staff members have been allocated specifically for the State Election Commission (SEC) to facilitate the local body elections.

The SEC supported the ECI’s stance, declaring to the apex court that it faced “no barriers” to conducting the local body elections, as the personnel assigned are exempt from SIR-related responsibilities. However, the petitioners contended that political activists and local residents engaged in LSGIs elections were unable to effectively participate in the verification process.

In light of the arguments presented, the Supreme Court allowed the Kerala government to submit a formal request to the ECI for an additional extension of the deadline for submitting enumeration forms. “You (the ECI) should extend it to ensure that anyone who missed out gets another chance,” the apex court advised Dwivedi.

The CJI Kant-led Bench further remarked, “You may continue with the ongoing process, but do not involve state government employees. We are trying to resolve this issue, and hopefully, we will succeed.”

It noted that while the administrative framework seems capable of managing both tasks, “only a few political parties are facing challenges.” The ECI has been directed to make a decision on the state government's proposal by Thursday (December 4).