Five-member panel led by Justice Madan Lokur to review ECI’s SIR exercise

The proposed review will examine whether the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was constitutionally and statutorily valid, along with its methodology and overall impact on eligible voters. The panel was announced amid growing concerns raised by citizens over the design, implementation and consequences of the exercise.

Five-member panel announced

The Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) said the independent panel would have five members and would be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur. Its members would include retired Supreme Court judge Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Former High Court judges Rekha Sharma and Anjana Prakash would also serve on the panel.

The association issued the announcement in a statement on Friday (October 2, 2026). The statement was issued through LAFC media coordinator advocate Subhash Chandran.

The panel’s stated mandate extends from legal examination to an assessment of how the SIR exercise was carried out and its broader effect on eligible voters. It would conduct nationwide public hearings, empirical and field research, and legal scrutiny of relevant laws and notifications.

Report targeted for December

According to the association’s statement, the panel aims to produce a report by December 2026. The planned public hearings and field research would allow the panel to independently evaluate the exercise alongside its review of the legal framework.

Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal, C.U. Singh, Vrinda Grover, Raju Ramachandran, Prashant Bhushan, Parishad Farasat, Rebecca Mammen John and Prashanto Chandra Sen would provide strategic legal advice to the panel. The association’s announcement places the inquiry’s focus on the SIR’s validity, method and impact, rather than limiting it to a review of the relevant laws and notifications.

Source: The Hindu