Supreme Court Upholds 2002 Base Year for Sikkim Electoral Rolls

The Supreme Court of India dismissed a public interest litigation filed by the NGO Sikkimese Mulniwasi Surakacha Sangh, which sought to move the base year for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Sikkim from 2002 to 1993. The NGO argued that the 2002 data did not align with the state's demographic profile and would create anomalies in the voter lists.

A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ruled that the Election Commission of India had uniformly applied 2002 as the base year across the country because it marked the last SIR. The court stated that the "goal post cannot be shifted in the middle of the exercise" and observed that voters on the 2002 rolls had already exercised their franchise in subsequent elections. The bench further noted that no political parties or stakeholders in Sikkim had opposed the decision.

While the court concluded that the base year was a policy choice and declined to interfere with the Election Commission's decision, it suggested the petitioner approach the commission directly for any reasonable exemptions. The ongoing SIR process in Sikkim has already resulted in the removal of over 37,000 voters from the draft rolls, reducing the total electorate from 4.7 lakh to 4.3 lakh.