Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Current Affairs for UPSC

The Supreme Court, while upholding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has ordered that voters excluded on doubtful-citizenship grounds be referred to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955 for adjudication within four weeks. Assam's decades-old experience with 'D' (Doubtful) voters shows why this may be far from simple. This article explains the SIR verdict, how the 'D-voter' tag and Foreigners Tribunals work, the burden-of-proof question, and the constitutional and legal framework governing voter citizenship in India.

On 27 May 2026, the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as constitutionally valid under Article 324, but ruled that the EC's citizenship scrutiny cannot be the final word — doubtful cases must go to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955. This article explains the SIR exercise, the constitutional basis under Articles 324–326, the Representation of the People Act 1950, the distinction between electoral eligibility and citizenship, the proportionality test, key data on deleted voters, and the safeguards mandated by the Court — covering everything UPSC aspirants need on this landmark verdict.