Supreme Court Urges Election Commission to Extend Voter Roll Revision Deadline in Kerala

The Supreme Court of India has urged the Election Commission to extend the deadline for submitting enumeration forms for the electoral roll revision in Kerala. This recommendation comes as the state prepares for local body elections scheduled for December 9 and 11. The court's suggestion aims to ensure that all eligible voters have the opportunity to participate in the electoral process. With the revision exercise affecting 12 states and Union Territories, the Kerala government has also requested a postponement of the revision until after the elections. The Election Commission is expected to make a decision soon, considering the implications for the electoral process.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 2, 2025, 18:03 IST

Supreme Court's Recommendation on Voter Roll Revision

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court suggested that the Election Commission should consider extending the deadline for submitting enumeration forms related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Kerala, which is currently set for December 11.

This recommendation was made by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, taking into account the preparations for the upcoming local body elections in the state.

The local body elections in Kerala are slated to occur in two phases on December 9 and December 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for December 13.

Kerala is one of the 12 states and Union Territories currently undergoing the electoral roll revision process.

The Left Democratic Front government has approached the Supreme Court, requesting a postponement of the revision until after the local elections are completed.

Recently, the Election Commission extended the deadline by one week, moving it from December 4 to December 11.

According to the revised timeline, the draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 16 instead of December 9. Voters will have the opportunity to file claims and objections from December 16 to January 15, with hearings scheduled for February 7 instead of January 31.

The final electoral rolls are expected to be published on February 14, a change from the previous date of February 7.

During the proceedings, the bench noted that election officials should have adequate time to complete their form submissions. Chief Justice Kant emphasized the importance of allowing additional time for those who may have missed the initial deadline.

The court deemed the request for an extension as “just and fair,” warranting the Election Commission's consideration.

The State Election Commission informed the court that the revision process would not interfere with the elections, as personnel assigned to election duties were exempt from the voter roll revision tasks.

The court permitted the Kerala government to present a detailed representation to the Election Commission, outlining the reasons for the requested deadline extension.

The Election Commission has been instructed to make a decision by Thursday, taking the proposal into account “objectively and sympathetically.”