Maharashtra SIR Challenged in Bombay HC, Plea Seeks Restoration of Deleted Voter Names

Two petitions have been filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, with one seeking restoration of voters whose names were deleted during the exercise.

The petitions came a day after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to several decisions taken during the SIR exercise. The pleas seek details of 14 decisions related to electoral-roll management, along with the criteria used for polling-station rationalisation and ECINET specifications.

One petition, filed by Maharashtra residents through advocate Asim Sarode before the Kolhapur bench, seeks the quashing of the 14 administrative actions and restoration of voters whose names were removed during the SIR. It also seeks disclosure of recorded dissents and the creation of an independent judicial committee to examine alleged data deletions and software-related restrictions.

The petition further asks the court to direct that upcoming Assembly elections in states where SIR has been conducted be kept on hold until fresh electoral rolls are prepared and approved as legally compliant. The matter is expected to be mentioned before the court on September 28.

A separate petition filed by two Mumbai residents through advocate Hitendra Gandhi challenges aspects of the implementation of SIR in Maharashtra. The plea raises concerns over the collection of documents during the enumeration process and the classification of voters under categories such as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD).

The petition seeks disclosure of the reasons and methodology behind the Maharashtra SIR, details of the ASDD process and ECINET specifications. It also asks the ECI to act on a representation submitted by the petitioners in April 2026 and to set aside the SIR-related directions issued for Maharashtra.

The petitioners have also sought safeguards against the exclusion of eligible voters, including statutory notice, an opportunity to be heard and a reasoned order before a name is removed from the electoral roll.

The petitions are at the filing stage and the allegations have yet to be adjudicated by the Bombay High Court. The Election Commission’s response to the claims is also yet to be recorded in these proceedings.