ARVIND KUMAR SINGH OF SAMAJWADI PARTY APPROACHES SUPREME COURT CHALLENGING UTTAR PRADESH SIR, SEEKS 3-MONTH EXTENSION:

Samajwadi Party leader Arvind Kumar Singh has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls initiated in Uttar Pradesh. In addition to seeking the quashing of the Election Commission’s notification authorizing the exercise, Singh has requested an extension of three months for the various timelines associated with the revision. These include deadlines for enumeration, updating of the control table, preparation of the draft roll, and final publication of the electoral roll.

The issue of SIR is already under examination by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Several political parties and their leaders across multiple states have raised concerns before the Court regarding the legality and constitutional validity of the SIR process. Apart from the instant petition filed by the Samajwadi Party leader, challenges have been filed by parties such as the DMK, actor Vijay’s TVK, the CPI(M), the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, and the Trinamool Congress or their respective leaders. These petitions involve objections to SIR in states including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala.

Recently, the Supreme Court also issued notice on a petition filed by Tanuj Punia, a Lok Sabha MP from Barabanki and Chairman of the Scheduled Caste Department of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. Punia’s petition challenges the SIR proceedings in Uttar Pradesh, adding to the growing list of political actors seeking judicial intervention. It is in this context that Arvind Kumar Singh has now filed his petition questioning the legality of the electoral roll revision in the state.

Singh’s petition specifically assails the Election Commission’s notification dated October 27, along with all subsequent orders and directions emanating from it, as being violative of constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326. He further contends that the impugned actions contravene provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Among the orders challenged is a communication issued by the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh informing presidents and ministers of national and regional political parties regarding the commencement of the SIR process. The petitioner argues that these actions lack legal foundation and disproportionately affect the electorate.

Another key component of the petition is a plea for the Court to direct the Election Commission of India to ensure that the process of linking Aadhaar numbers with EPIC cards is undertaken properly and completed in a comprehensive manner. Singh maintains that this step is essential for maintaining the integrity and reliability of the electoral roll.

According to the petitioner, the SIR notification and subsequent directives are arbitrary, lack adequate safeguards, and pose a substantial risk of disenfranchising a large number of eligible voters across the state. He asserts that the revision exercise undermines the rights of innocent citizens by potentially excluding them from the electoral process without sufficient justification or procedural fairness. On these grounds, Singh urges the Supreme Court to intervene, strike down the impugned notification and related orders, and ensure an extension of time so that the electoral roll revision can be carried out lawfully and without prejudice to voters’ constitutional rights.