Supreme Court of India Dismisses Assam Electoral Roll Plea

The Supreme Court of India dismissed a public interest litigation on February 19, 2026, that challenged the method used to revise electoral rolls in Assam. The petitioner, Mrinal Kumar Choudhary, argued that the Election Commission of India unfairly applied a standard Special Revision instead of a more rigorous Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He claimed the diluted process lacked requirements for proof of citizenship, age, and residence, unlike the SIRs conducted in Bihar and twelve other states.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant disposed of the plea as infructuous, noting that the final electoral rolls for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections had already been published on February 10, 2026. The court highlighted that the Election Commission of India does not have the authority to arbitrarily designate individuals as foreigners, as such determinations must come from specialized tribunals.

Following the Special Revision process, the total voter count in Assam decreased by 2.43 lakh. The court concluded the matter by stating that nothing survives the current legal challenge now that the revision exercise is complete.