'Respond within 2 weeks': SC seeks EC reply on pleas challenging SIR by Congress, DMK, TMC; permits AIADMK to join case backing exercise

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Election Commission to respond to the pleas challenging the Special Intensive Revision exercise in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The top court gave the poll body two weeks of time to reply.

Further, it permitted AIADMK to join the case backing SIR exercise in Tamil Nadu.

The pleas challenging the survey have been filed by DMK , Congress and TMC .

The MK Stalin party in Tamil Nadu challenged the voter rolls exercise accusing EC of "conspiring to implement" what he called "malicious exercise" through SIR of electoral rolls.

“Even after a legal case was filed, the Election Commission did not give a satisfactory explanation,” CM Stalin had said.

The EC, last month, announced a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, with 12 states and Union Territories -- including Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal -- to be covered in the second phase.