The SIR Citizens’ Monitor Goa has once again criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 Electoral Roll process, describing it as a fundamentally flawed and arbitrary exercise that has caused significant hardship to genuine voters.
The group, which is currently assisting individuals who remain either unmapped or categorised under the ASDD list through the appeal stage, stated that decisions taken during the appellate process have now been effectively invalidated.
Advocate Albertina Almeida of the SIR Monitor said that appeals heard and decided by the Additional Collector under Rule 23 of the Registration of Electors Rules were later treated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as having been conducted without jurisdiction.
“This decision effectively nullified the results of those hearings after the process had already concluded,” Almeida said.
She further alleged that the entire SIR 2026 process was structured in a manner that enabled authorities to exclude citizens from the electoral roll.
The Monitor documented several key failures during the exercise:
- Faulty Enumeration: Forms were not properly distributed to all eligible citizens from the outset. The group said this was either due to deliberate intent or systemic failure in distribution mechanisms.
- Unannounced Deletions: Names of several individuals were removed from the draft roll without prior notice. Additionally, those affected were not given access to the claims and objections process.
- The “ASDD” Deadlock: No remedy was provided for individuals listed as Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate (ASDD). This category included people temporarily away from their homes, including those affected by domestic issues or denied access to forms by family members.
- Coerced Withdrawals: At the appellate stage, individuals were allegedly pressured to withdraw appeals and submit Form 6. The Monitor said this was contrary to law, as many were neither new voters nor had they changed residence.
The group stated that the most critical failure occurred during the appellate stage. Despite citizens undergoing a prolonged and difficult process involving documentation and hearings, their efforts were rendered ineffective.
“The SIR process was a sham from the start,” said Adv Albertina Almeida. “Authorities led citizens through a legal maze only to announce at the finish line that the Appellate Officer lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case. This confirmed that the entire exercise was open to complete manipulation.”
The Monitor also pointed out that there was no assurance that successful appeals would translate into inclusion in the final SIR 2026 electoral roll. While authorities mentioned the possibility of “supplementary rolls,” there was no clarity on whether these would be part of the SIR process or the regular electoral roll.
According to the group, this lack of clarity has left thousands of voters in uncertainty regarding their electoral status.
The SIR Citizens’ Monitor Goa maintained that the SIR 2026 exercise amounted to a managed process that led to the disenfranchisement of legitimate voters through administrative lapses and procedural ambiguity.
Group member Elvis Gomes also addressed the issue, supporting the concerns raised by the Monitor.
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