Civil society groups in Karnataka launch campaign against Election Commission’s SIR
Bengaluru: More than 100 representatives from civil society organisations, political parties, trade unions, women’s groups, and student unions gathered in Bengaluru on Friday to oppose the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
The meeting, held at the Legislators’ Home, culminated in the adoption of a resolution to launch a state-wide campaign titled “My Vote, My Right”, aimed at resisting what participants described as an “NRC-like” process that could lead to the disenfranchisement of marginalised voters.
Speakers at the meeting drew parallels with similar revisions in Bihar, where over 6.8 million names were reportedly deleted from electoral rolls, with Dalits, Muslims, women, and migrant workers being disproportionately affected. They argued that the SIR shifts the burden of proof of eligibility onto citizens, reversing the earlier rule that required the Election Commission to justify voter deletions.
“The SIR follows the same logic as the NRC,” said Vinay Sreenivasa of Bahutva Karnataka. “It shifts the burden onto citizens and risks large-scale disenfranchisement.”
Clifton D’Rozario of the CPI(ML) Liberation said that many poor and marginalised voters do not possess the documents now sought by the ECI, such as birth certificates or matriculation certificates. Activists further expressed concern that the SIR authorises election officials to refer “suspected foreign nationals” to authorities under the Citizenship Act, 1955, a clause they said could be weaponised against minorities and the poor.
“This gives unbridled powers to local officials and can be misused against vulnerable communities,” said a joint statement issued after the meeting.
Presiding over the discussion, Indudara Honnapura, founder-member of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS), urged mass mobilisation against the measure. “Voters choose their leaders, but now the Election Commission wants to choose the voters,” he said.
The participants urged the Karnataka government to pass a resolution against SIR, similar to Kerala’s stance opposing the NRC and CAA, and demanded that the ECI hold wider consultations with civil society organisations before implementing the process.
The round table was attended by representatives from PUCL Karnataka, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, AICCTU, AIPWA, AISA, the All India Lawyers Association for Justice, and the Students’ Federation of India, among others.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
