The Supreme Court on Thursday said that “migration” mentioned in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) order could include movement into India from other countries. Justice Joymalya Bagchi, part of a Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, questioned if movement across borders should be called migration. The court discussed this during arguments over the Election Commission's citizenship verification drive now ongoing in 12 states and union territories, affecting 51 crore people. Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran argued that the EC’s June 24, 2025 SIR order did not clearly explain citizenship verification as a reason. Instead, it mentioned migration due to urbanization and seeking education or jobs. Justice Bagchi noted that migration could also cross countries. Chief Justice Kant pointed out that the SIR is held after 20 years and courts cannot interfere too much since it is not a yearly event. Ramachandran said since it has been 20 years, the EC should carefully justify its actions. He also said the June 24 order was specific to Bihar but was copied to states like Tamil Nadu without changes. He questioned the need for this verification when legal methods to identify suspicious persons already exist. He said, “If there is already a concerned person who is acting by law against suspicious people, why does the EC act like a more suspicious neighbour or a nosy parker? The Constitution does not give the EC power to play a vigilante role, an inquisitorial role.” The court asked if the EC can verify citizenship as a necessary step to include voters on rolls. Chief Justice Kant also suggested using Aadhaar and other documents to check voter claims. Ramachandran replied, “The EC should begin by trusting the public at large, not distrust them.”