Five Former SC, HC Judges Form Commission To Examine ECI’s Electoral Roll SIR [Read Press Release]

New Delhi: The Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) has announced the constitution of an independent inquiry commission to examine the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undertaken by the Election Commission of India, in response to growing concerns raised by citizens regarding the design, implementation, and consequences of the exercise.

The newly formed Independent Commission of Former Judges on the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls will function with complete autonomy to examine the constitutional and statutory validity, methodology, and overall impact of the SIR exercise on eligible voters.

The five-member Commission is chaired by Justice Madan B. Lokur, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and comprises Justice A.K. Patnaik, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India; Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court; Justice Rekha Sharma, former Judge of the Delhi High Court; and Justice Anjana Prakash, former Judge of the Patna High Court.

The Commission will independently evaluate whether the SIR exercise ensured that every eligible citizen was retained while ineligible entries were properly excluded. The inquiry will include nationwide public hearings, in which full and regional benches of the Commission will travel across the country to hear testimony directly from affected citizens, civil society groups, and experts. A dedicated Research Wing will collate and analyse the data regarding voter roll additions and deletions across the country and present it before the Commission, while a Legal Support Team will review relevant legislation, notifications, and verification processes to assess compliance with constitutional safeguards.

The Commission will retain sole responsibility for all final findings and recommendations. Senior legal practitioners, including Mr Kapil Sibal, Mr Prashant Bhushan, Mr Chander Uday Singh, Mr Prashanto Chandra Sen, Mr Raju Ramachandran, Ms Rebecca Mammen John, Ms Warisha Farasat, and Ms Vrinda Grover, among others, will provide strategic legal advice. A coordination team featuring prominent civil voices, housed at LAFC, will facilitate operational support. Neither the sponsoring organisations nor supporting committees will influence the substantive decisions, conclusions, or recommendations of the judges.

The Commission aims to complete its inquiry on an intensive schedule, with a target to release its final report to the public by December 2026.

Issued by: Lawyers' Association for Constitution (LAFC), 405, Nilgiri Apartments, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, Press Release dated 02.10.2026

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