Is India’s voter roll revision process excluding genuine voters? | The Hindu Editorial

The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has come under intense scrutiny amid allegations that the process relies on arbitrary criteria that could disproportionately affect certain communities. Questions have been raised over the use of “logical discrepancies” to flag voters, the role of automated scrutiny, voter deletions in multiple states and the impact on electoral inclusion. With petitions already before the Supreme Court, the debate now centres on whether the process strengthens electoral integrity or risks disenfranchising legitimate voters. This editorial examines the data, the controversies and the legal questions surrounding the SIR process. Published - October 15, 2026 03:14 pm IST