The Supreme Court on Monday issued a significant warning to the Election Commission of India (ECI), making it clear that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar could face complete cancellation if any irregularities are detected in the methodology adopted. The SIR, a crucial process to update and verify voter lists ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, is being closely scrutinized following complaints about the procedures being used.

During the proceedings, a bench of the Supreme Court underscored that it cannot deliver a fragmented or “piecemeal” opinion limited only to Bihar. Instead, the Court stressed that its ruling on the legality of the SIR will set a precedent and apply uniformly to all such exercises conducted across India. This means that the verdict will not only determine the fate of Bihar’s voter revision drive but could also impact similar processes in other poll-bound states in the future.

Despite the warning, the bench observed that the Election Commission, being a constitutional authority, is presumed to be following all mandatory rules and legal frameworks while carrying out the revision. However, it clarified that this presumption does not prevent the Court from intervening if evidence of illegality emerges.

The Supreme Court has fixed **October 7** as the date for final arguments, where it will thoroughly examine the validity of the SIR exercise, the methodology adopted by the Election Commission, and the allegations of procedural violations. The outcome of this hearing is expected to have far-reaching implications for the conduct of voter list revisions across the country, especially in states heading towards critical elections.