Guwahati, May 3 -- A broad coalition of retired judges, academics, activists, former bureaucrats, writers and civil society organisations from across the country has called for an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise has led to large-scale exclusion of legitimate voters and undermined public confidence in the Election Commission of India (ECI).

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the signatories accused the ECI of acting in a "partisan" manner and questioned the constitutional validity of the ongoing revision process. They also urged the Supreme Court to expedite hearings on petitions challenging the SIR exercise.

The statement alleged that nearly six crore "rightful ...