No stay on SIR; Supreme Court to decide on Kerala's plea on December 2

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Kerala can continue without interruption. The court refused to grant a stay on the state government’s plea seeking postponement of the revision process due to the upcoming local body elections. The case related to Kerala will be considered on December 2, and the court said it would decide then whether to intervene in the state’s petition.

The court also directed Tamil Nadu to submit an affidavit by December 1. Kerala has been asked to file its affidavit by Monday. The bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that Kerala’s situation is different from that of Tamil Nadu in the SIR case. The Election Commission told the court that political parties are responsible for creating problems related to the voters’ list in Kerala.

The Commission also told the court that when the case was heard in the Kerala High Court, district collectors and other officials had stated that there were no issues. The Commission said the revision process is progressing quickly and that it is ready to file an affidavit if required. The Kerala government, however, countered that the situation is not as the Election Commission claims. The Supreme Court has directed both Tamil Nadu and Kerala to file detailed affidavits.