New Delhi, Dec 9 (UNI) The Supreme Court today declined to grant an extension of the deadline for submission of enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, amid the ongoing local body election process.
The Court said it would revisit the matter on December 18, the current deadline fixed by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing petitions filed by the State of Kerala and various political parties seeking postponement of the SIR process in light of simultaneous local body elections.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, informed the Bench that the original deadline of December 4 was extended first to December 11, and later pursuant to the Court’s earlier observations further extended to December 18.
He opposed any further extension at this stage, submitting that 97.42 of all enumeration forms have already been digitised as of yesterday.
Any additional extension should be considered only if a concrete need arises, not on speculative grounds.
Senior Advocate P.V. Surendranath, appearing for CPI(M) Secretary M.V. Govindan, urged that the deadline be extended by at least two more weeks, stating that over 20 lakh individuals are yet to be traced.
He argued that many students and employees currently outside the State could furnish their details during the upcoming vacation period.
Advocate C.K. Sasi, representing the State of Kerala, also supported the plea for further extension, asserting that simultaneous conduct of SIR and local body elections poses serious administrative challenges.
Kerala is conducting local body elections in two phases on December 9 and 11, with counting scheduled for December 13.
As per the SIR schedule, BLO enumeration was to be completed by December 4, 2025, Draft electoral rolls are set to be published on December 9, 2025
Kerala’s petition does not challenge the SIR notification itself but seeks postponement of the process to avoid overlapping administrative burdens. The State had earlier approached the Kerala High Court, which declined to interfere and suggested moving the Supreme Court, given that SIR-related issues across multiple states are already pending before it.
Along with Kerala’s plea, the Bench also issued notice on petitions filed by IUML General Secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty (represented by Advocate Haris Beeran), KPCC President Sunny Joseph, CPI(M) Secretary M.V. Govindan Master (represented by Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar).
The Supreme Court is also seized of similar SIR-related petitions concerning Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. While SIR in Bihar has been reviewed extensively and elections have concluded, the processes in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are still pending, with the Court seeking the ECI’s response.
The matter will now be taken up on December 18, when the Court will assess whether a further extension of the SIR deadline is warranted.
