New Delhi, October 26:The Supreme Court on Monday declined to extend the deadline for filing claims and objections under the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. However, it issued notice to the poll body seeking its response to a petition alleging that 33% of voters in the State had been deleted from the electoral rolls during the exercise.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was hearing a petition filed by Arun Anandagiri, who has challenged the alleged large-scale deletion of voters’ names.

Senior Advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that around 3,500 redevelopment projects were underway in Mumbai and Pune, resulting in the demolition of old residential colonies and the relocation of thousands of people. He argued that these residents faced the risk of losing their place on the electoral rolls due to changes in addresses and other discrepancies in their records.

Datar also questioned the requirement for existing voters to submit Form 6, which is intended for the registration of new voters. He urged the court to direct the ECI to introduce a separate form for individuals whose names had appeared on electoral rolls in previous elections.

“Asking existing voters to fill Form 6 is incorrect; Form 6 is meant for registration of new voters, not for voters who are already enrolled,” Datar submitted.

The petitioner’s counsel sought an extension of the deadline for filing claims and objections, as well as a direction to halt the finalisation of the electoral rolls until the court had considered the matter.

The bench, however, declined to grant an immediate extension, while assuring the petitioner that the matter would be heard shortly. The court indicated that it could extend the deadline if it found that eligible voters had been unable to submit the necessary documents within the prescribed period.

“Don’t worry. You are a whistleblower. You have come to us. Don’t worry. We can always extend the date. If we find that there are people who are yet to file their documents, we will. We have been extending dates in earlier (SIR) matters also,” the Chief Justice observed.

The matter is scheduled to be heard on November [date to be confirmed].

The ECI had earlier revised the schedule for the SIR of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. According to the revised timeline, the deadline for filing claims and objections was extended from September 30 to October 12, while the final publication of the electoral roll was rescheduled from November 4 to November 12, 2026. The process of disposing of claims and objections was scheduled to continue until November 10.

The petition raises concerns over the potential exclusion of eligible voters during the revision exercise, particularly those displaced by redevelopment projects or affected by discrepancies in their residential details.