SIR Voter List Revision: Former Judges To Probe Legality, Method And Impact On Voters

• Former judges will examine the legality, methodology and impact of the SIR voter list revision.

• Justice Madan B Lokur will chair the five-member panel announced by the Lawyers Association for Constitution.

• The panel will hold nationwide public hearings and conduct field research before its December 2026 report.

A five-member panel of former Supreme Court and High Court judges will independently examine the constitutional and statutory validity, methodology and overall impact of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on eligible voters, the Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) said on Friday, October 2, 2026.

The panel has been constituted in response to concerns raised by citizens over the design, implementation and consequences of the SIR exercise undertaken by the Election Commission. The LAFC said the panel would independently examine the exercise and aims to submit its report by December 2026.

Public hearings and field research planned

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur will chair the panel. The other members are retired Supreme Court judge Justice A.K. Patnaik, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, and former High Court judges Rekha Sharma and Anjana Prakash.

The panel will evaluate the “constitutional and statutory validity, methodology, and overall impact of the SIR exercise on eligible voters”. As part of its inquiry, the panel will hold nationwide public hearings and undertake empirical and field research.

The inquiry will also involve legal scrutiny of the relevant laws and notifications governing the electoral roll revision.

The statement announcing the constitution of the panel was issued by LAFC media coordinator and advocate Subhash Chandran.

Senior lawyers to provide legal advice

The panel will receive strategic legal advice from senior lawyers Kapil Sibal, C.U. Singh, Vrinda Grover, Raju Ramachandran, Prashant Bhushan, Parishad Farasat, Rebecca Mammen John and Prashanto Chandra Sen.