Key Points
- Supreme Court hearing scheduled for Friday, November 21, 2025, on Kerala’s petition to defer SIR
- Local body elections fixed for December 9 and 11, with results by December 18, meeting constitutional deadline of December 21
- 96.15% of SIR forms already distributed across Kerala, with 289,795 forms (1.04%) digitized so far
- Kerala High Court refused to entertain plea, directing state to Supreme Court where similar challenges from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal are pending
- Election Commission opposes deferment, claiming SIR is halfway complete and halting would disrupt national electoral preparations
The Kerala government, through Chief Secretary Dr A. Jayathilak, filed a petition seeking immediate suspension of the SIR process, which was launched on November 4, 2025. The state emphasises that Articles 243E and 243U of the Constitution mandate completion of Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGI) elections before December 21, 2025, when the five-year term of current councils expires. The Kerala State Election Commission has scheduled polling for December 9 and 11, vote counting from December 13, and final results by December 18. The petition warns that parallel SIR operations will undermine the democratic franchise by diverting trained personnel and compromising verification quality when constitutional elections are underway.
High Court Redirects Case to Supreme Court
On November 14, 2025, the Kerala High Court dismissed the state’s writ petition, citing judicial discipline. Justice V.G. Arun observed that the Supreme Court had already issued an interim order on November 11, 2025, requesting High Courts to keep SIR-related proceedings in abeyance. The High Court noted that similar petitions from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal were pending before the apex court, making it inappropriate for parallel adjudication. This forced Kerala to approach the Supreme Court directly, where its case will be heard alongside other state challenges.
Nationwide SIR Exercise Faces Multi-State Resistance
Kerala is among 11 states undergoing the Electoral Roll Purification Drive (SIR) 2.0, a nationwide initiative by the Election Commission. In Kerala alone, 24,468 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 54,624 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have distributed 26,778,609 forms door-to-door. While 96.15% of forms have been distributed, only 289,795 (1.04%) have been digitized so far. The Election Commission has opposed deferment, arguing the process is more than halfway complete and stopping it would disrupt preparations for upcoming Assembly elections due by May 2026. The commission maintains there is no constitutional or statutory mandate requiring SIR completion before local elections.
Supreme Court’s Crucial Hearing Today
Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai agreed to list Kerala’s petition for hearing on Friday, November 21, 2025, rejecting a request for earlier adjudication. The court will also hear a related petition filed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which seeks an immediate halt to SIR. Kerala’s counsel argued that continuing SIR alongside local body elections would cause an administrative impasse, as both exercises require the same trained staff. The state contends that deferring SIR until December 21 would cause no prejudice, as there is no emergent necessity to complete the revision simultaneously with local polls.
