Who decided on nationwide SIR? EC’s RTI response raises questions
The Election Commission (EC) in an RTI inquiry said that it has not taken any decision to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country in 2025. Activist Anjali Bharadwaj, co-convenor of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI), had filed the RTI application on July 28, 2025, about a month after the EC announced on June 24 that SIR would be undertaken, beginning with Bihar. Anjali had sought details of studies or analyses conducted for the SIR, reference numbers and copies of the relevant files to ascertain who decided on the SIR process and how.In response to her RTI, Election Commission Principal Secretary TC Kom stated, “Appellant is informed that the Commission has so far not taken any decision on initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the country in 2025 and hence no information to be provided in this regard.”The response raises questions about the decision-making process behind the SIR exercise. The EC is the constitutionally mandated body responsible for the conduct and supervision of elections and electoral-roll revisions.The RTI response is particularly significant because it came after the EC had publicly announced the commencement of SIR in Bihar and indicated that the exercise would subsequently be taken up across the country.The RTI reply accessed by TNM also shows the Principal Secretary stating that the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) had not provided the requisite files sought by Anjali, “as the requisite information is not available with him in any material form.”“Such a response can only come up if the Election Commission itself had not taken the decision on the SIR. I had asked for the copy of the files and they didn’t have them, showing that they did not decide on the SIR. So who made the decision? Was it the PMO or the Ministry of Home Affairs? These are the questions that then arise, and these are serious questions on the independence of this constitutionally mandated body,” she told TNM.Anjali’s RTI reply became a talking point a day after an investigative report published by The Indian Express on September 23 reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir and Vivek had raised 14 objections pertaining to electoral-roll revisions over the past 10 months and had disagreed with the CEC on multiple counts.
THE Election Commission (EC), in an RTI enquiry, said that it has not taken any decision to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country in 2025.
Activist Anjali Bharadwaj, co-convenor of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI), had filed the RTI application on July 28, 2025, about a month after the EC announced on June 24 that SIR would be undertaken, beginning with Bihar.
Anjali had sought details of studies or analyses conducted for the SIR, reference numbers and copies of the relevant files to ascertain who decided on the SIR process and how.
In response to her RTI, Election Commission Principal Secretary TC Kom stated, “Appellant is informed that the Commission has so far not taken any decision on initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the country in 2025 and hence no information to be provided in this regard.”
The response raises questions about the decision-making process behind the SIR exercise. The EC is the constitutionally mandated body responsible for the conduct and supervision of elections and electoral-roll revisions.
The RTI response is particularly significant because it came after the EC had publicly announced the commencement of SIR in Bihar and indicated that the exercise would subsequently be taken up across the country.
The RTI reply accessed by TNM also shows the Principal Secretary stating that the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) had not provided the requisite files sought by Anjali, “as the requisite information is not available with him in any material form.”
“Such a response can only come up if the Election Commission itself had not taken the decision on the SIR. I had asked for the copy of the files and they didn’t have them, showing that they did not decide on the SIR. So who made the decision? Was it the PMO or the Ministry of Home Affairs? These are the questions that then arise, and these are serious questions on the independence of this constitutionally mandated body,” she told TNM.
Anjali’s RTI reply became a talking point a day after an investigative report published by The Indian Express on September 23 reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir and Vivek had raised 14 objections pertaining to electoral-roll revisions over the past 10 months and had disagreed with the CEC on multiple counts.
