Supreme Court holds back directive on ECI file preservation in SIR row

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to immediately direct the Election Commission of India to preserve records pertaining to Scrutiny Intelligence Reports (SIRs), amid an ongoing dispute over the agency's decision-making process on these matters. Instead, the court chose to postpone the proceedings, granting petitioners additional time to file their counter-affidavits in response to the ECI's submissions. The bench tentatively scheduled the next hearing for November 17, signalling that a substantive order on file preservation may be deferred until that date. The decision to withhold directions reflects the court's preference to allow both parties adequate opportunity to present their respective positions before making any binding orders on the maintenance and safeguarding of official documents. The row over SIRs has raised questions about the consistency and transparency of the Election Commission's procedures, with petitioners seeking to challenge certain administrative decisions taken by the poll body. The scheduled November 17 hearing is expected to determine the court's stance on whether mandatory preservation directives are warranted in the case.