Tamil Nadu ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) organising secretary R.S. Bharathi moved the Supreme Court on Monday (November 3, 2025) against the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise announced by the Election Commission of India in 12 States and Union Territories, saying the process amounts to “constitutional overreach” and is a thinly-disguised, de facto National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“By imposing citizenship-like burdens of proof on electors, the SIR appears to be acting beyond its statutory purpose, effectively functioning as a de facto National Register of Citizens (NRC). If the SIR order of October 27 is not set aside, the exercise can arbitrarily and without due process, disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country, which are part of the basic structure of the Constitution,” Mr. Bharathi submitted a petition on behalf of the party drawn by advocate Saushriya Havelia and settled by senior advocate N.R. Elango.
SIR will lead to fresh voter list in Tamil Nadu, ECI tells Madras High Court
The petition, the first challenge in the apex court against the second phase of the SIR commenced from October 28, highlighted the lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for the SIR of the electoral roll in Tamil Nadu as designed to exclude voters.
