Over 300 signatories have demanded a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with the likes of Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India, actor Prakash Raj, and activist Teesta Setalvad terming the SIR as “an exclusionary, undemocratic, non-transparent, and unscientific process of electoral roll revision.”

“In the 10 States and three Union Territories where SIR has been conducted so far, nearly 6 crore rightful voters have been deprived of their right to franchise. During the SIR in Bengal, about 35 lakh voters seeking adjudication were denied verification through no fault of their own. They lost their right to vote. This mass denial of their basic right has proven, beyond doubt, that this is a flawed process, and designed with mala fide intent,” said the joint call from civil society across the States where SIR has been conducted, as well as from those identified for SIR’s Phase 3 implementation.