Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to extend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka from one month to three months, observing that the matter falls within the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) domain.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha disposed of the petition, holding that it was premature and that the timeline for the revision exercise is best left to the ECI.

“The present petition relates to the procedure being adopted for conduct of the SIR. The ECI is tasked with the conduct of SIR. It is a specialized body, and we find no reasons to proceed on the basis that the Election Commission of India would not be able to address any of the procedural issues that may be encountered during the conduct of SIR,” the bench observed.

The court further said that deciding whether the prescribed timeline is adequate is a matter within the Election Commission’s specialised domain and that it would not be appropriate for the High Court to intervene at this stage.

The PIL was filed by Kannada author Devanooru Mahadeva, historian Ramachandra Guha, Major General (Retd.) S.G. Vombatkere, and Kannada scholar Sabiha Bhoomigowda. The petitioners primarily challenged the one-month timeline prescribed for the electoral roll revision.

During the hearing, it was argued that the requirement of issuing notices before publishing the draft electoral roll, as submitted before the Supreme Court, may not be complied with in certain cases, raising concerns over procedural safeguards.

The court was also informed that the Karnataka government had submitted a representation to the Election Commission on June 15, 2026, highlighting similar concerns that were raised in the petition.