What Happened
- The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice told the Election Commission of India (ECI) that no genuine voter should be removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
- The committee examined the ECI's conduct of the ongoing SIR process and recommended robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure uniform implementation across all states and Union Territories.
- With SIR set to be extended to 22 more states and UTs in April 2026 (after earlier phases in 6 states), the panel stressed the need for adequate safeguards for vulnerable sections, including migrant workers, tribal communities, and the urban poor.
- The committee flagged that inconsistencies in electoral roll revision could raise legal concerns under the Representation of the People Act and undermine public confidence in democratic processes.
- It called for strict adherence to data privacy and security protocols, particularly for documents uploaded on digital platforms like ECINET.
- The panel also noted allegations of duplicate EPIC (Elector's Photo Identity Card) numbers across states and urged the ECI to resolve the persistent duplication problem.
Static Topic Bridges
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls
The Special Intensive Revision is a comprehensive house-to-house enumeration exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update electoral rolls before major elections. Unlike the routine Annual Summary Revision, SIR involves physical verification of each household by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and is typically ordered ahead of state assembly elections to ensure accurate voter lists. The SIR for 2026 was initiated ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
- SIR involves BLOs visiting every household in their assigned booth to verify existing entries and register new eligible voters.
- The process generates claims (additions) and objections (deletions), which must be adjudicated through a formal process before the final electoral roll is published.
- Political parties have alleged that the 2026 SIR in West Bengal has been used to disproportionately delete voters from opposition-leaning areas.
- Phase 1 of SIR 2026 covered 6 states/UTs; Phase 2 covering 22 more states/UTs is scheduled for April 2026.
Connection to this news: The parliamentary committee's intervention reflects legislative concern that the SIR, while necessary for roll accuracy, must not be used — inadvertently or otherwise — to disenfranchise genuine voters, particularly from marginalised communities.
Representation of the People Act, 1950 — Electoral Roll Safeguards
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 is the primary legislation governing the preparation and maintenance of electoral rolls in India. Section 22 of the Act empowers Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to amend, transpose, or delete entries in the roll — but only after inquiry and with mandatory procedural safeguards. Before deleting any name on the ground that the person has ceased to reside in the constituency, the ERO must give the person concerned a reasonable opportunity of being heard. No deletions are permitted after the last date for filing nominations in any constituency election.
- Section 16 lays down grounds for disqualification from voter registration (non-citizenship, unsound mind, corrupt practices).
- Section 22 governs correction/deletion of entries — the ERO acts under general or special directions from the Election Commission.
- Section 23 covers inclusion of names omitted from the roll.
- The Election Commission issues model forms (Forms 6, 7, 8) for additions, objections, and corrections respectively.
Connection to this news: The committee's recommendation directly relates to Section 22 safeguards — ensuring that the "right to be heard" is meaningfully implemented before any genuine voter is removed, especially during the large-scale SIR exercise.
Parliamentary Oversight of the Election Commission
The Election Commission of India functions as an independent constitutional body under Article 324, but it remains accountable to Parliament through Parliamentary Standing Committees. The Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice regularly examines the functioning of the Ministry of Law and Justice, which includes oversight of electoral matters and the ECI. This committee can summon officials, examine reports, and make recommendations — though the ECI, as a constitutional body, is not bound to implement them.
- The ECI draws its constitutional authority from Articles 324–329 of the Constitution.
- Article 324 gives the ECI superintendence, direction, and control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice President.
- Parliamentary committees represent an important checks-and-balances mechanism for a body that is otherwise insulated from normal executive control.
- The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only through a process akin to that for a Supreme Court judge (address of both Houses of Parliament).
Connection to this news: The committee's recommendations, while advisory, exert significant political and moral pressure on the ECI to ensure the SIR is conducted inclusively — demonstrating that parliamentary oversight functions as an accountability mechanism even for constitutionally independent bodies.
EPIC (Elector's Photo Identity Card) and Duplicate Number Problem
The Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is a photo identity document issued by the ECI to all registered voters. Introduced in 1993, it serves both as proof of identity for voting and as a general identity document. Each voter is assigned a unique EPIC number, though systemic issues have led to duplicate EPIC numbers being assigned to different voters — sometimes across different states. The ECI committed in March 2025 to resolve the duplicate EPIC number problem within three months but the issue has persisted since 2020.
- The West Bengal CM publicly revealed cases where the same EPIC number was assigned to voters in West Bengal and in Gujarat/Haryana simultaneously.
- ERONET (Electoral Roll Management System) is the digital platform used to maintain and update electoral rolls.
- e-EPIC (Electronic EPIC) was introduced in 2021, allowing voters to download their voter ID digitally.
- The ECI has proposed linking Aadhaar with voter rolls (via Section 23 amendment in the Electoral Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021) to resolve duplication — though this remains voluntary.
Connection to this news: The committee's concerns about data integrity on digital platforms like ECINET and its flagging of the duplicate EPIC problem underscore how back-end data quality issues directly threaten the SIR's stated goal of inclusive and accurate electoral rolls.
Key Facts & Data
- SIR Phase 1 (2025-26): Covered 6 states/UTs ahead of 2026 assembly elections.
- SIR Phase 2: Set to cover 22 more states/UTs from April 2026.
- West Bengal SIR: Over 60 lakh entries placed "Under Adjudication" pending verification.
- The Supreme Court ordered deployment of 500+ judicial officers from West Bengal and ~200 from Odisha and Jharkhand to adjudicate claims and objections in West Bengal.
- EPIC duplicate numbers: ECI committed to resolving the problem within 3 months in March 2025; issue remains unresolved.
- Representation of the People Act, 1950, Section 22: EROs must give persons a reasonable opportunity of being heard before deleting their name.
- The Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice is the relevant parliamentary oversight body for ECI-related matters.
- Top sources for UPSC questions on electoral rolls: The Hindu, PIB, ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms).