SC refuses to alter ECI's decision to keep 2002 base year for Sikkim SIR

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the Election Commission of India's decision to fix 2002 as the base year for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Sikkim.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana dismissed a PIL filed by 'Sikkimese Mulniwasi Surakacha Sangh', an NGO, seeking a direction to the poll panel to consider 1993 as the base year instead of 2002 for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.

The bench said, "The goal post cannot be shifted in the middle of the exercise.

2002 has been kept as the base year for the entire country.

We will not interfere with the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI)." The NGO contended that electorate data added in 2002 do not match with the demographic data of Sikkim and considering 2002 as the base year would lead to further anomalies.

The bench, however, did not agree with the petitioner, and said that voters enrolled in the ...