The Indian Express wants readers to treat its allegations as gospel, but internal objections are not proof of wrongdoing, especially when the Election Commission has challenged its claims on affidavit.
According to Election Commission sources, SIR has not been scrapped in a single State/UT. It was already completed in 17 States/UTs under Phases I & II, including poll-bound States. SSR in poll-bound States is a statutory requirement under Section 21 of the RP Act, 1950, not an escape from SIR and SIR will cover every State/UT.