Petitioners Tell Supreme Court Electoral Roll Scrutiny Cannot Include Citizenship Tests

Petitioners have argued before the Supreme Court that the Election Commission of India (ECI) cannot conduct citizenship verification during electoral roll scrutiny, claiming this effectively amounts to an indirect National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise.

The Court is hearing multiple petitions filed by opposition leaders and NGOs challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states.

They contend that electoral registration officers lack the authority to determine citizenship, which falls exclusively under the Citizenship Act.

During a hearing last month, the ECI's counsel countered these arguments, accusing political parties of creating unwarranted fear about the SIR process.