New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has served a hearing notice on former foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan, 88, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asking him to appear in person next week. Krishnan Srinivasan, a retired IFS officer, and his wife Brinda Srinivasan, 79, received the notice at their Hazra residence on Nafar Kundu Road in Kolkata, West Bengal from booth-level officer Debolina Maity.The notices sent on behalf of the electoral registration officer of the Bhabanipur assembly constituency represented by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, directed the couple to attend a hearing at Alipore’s Survey Building on January 19, The Telegraph reported.The notice stated: “You have not filled in the details related to you or your relative that could establish you or your relative as a registered elector in the electoral rolls prepared during the previous SIR.”Earlier, similar notices had been issued to Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, 92, and former Navy chief admiral Arun Prakash, 81.Since Brinda Srinivasan will be out of the city till January 26, Krishnan Srinivasan sought a revised date, which was granted for January 27. Although eligible for a home hearing due to his age, he opted to attend in person.Also read: SIR: EC Extends Schedule in Some States and UTs; Supreme Court Asks for Kerala Deleted Names to be PublishedExplaining why he could not confirm his voting status in 2002, Krishnan Srinivasan told The Telegraph: “We were not able to confirm [in the enumeration forms filled out and submitted on November 16 last year] that we had voted in 2002, simply because we were not in India, my wife and I. At the time, I was representing India as the deputy [political affairs] to the secretary-general of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.”He expressed surprise at receiving the notice despite finding his name in the draft rolls published last month, adding that he was living in London for seven years at the time with permanent residency and holding a diplomatic passport since joining the IFS in 1959.Srinivasan, who served as foreign secretary during the P.V. Narasimha Rao government and later held senior positions in the Commonwealth secretariat, said he did not object to verification but felt the process lacked practicality.“I’ve got to make it clear, I’m not aggrieved about the necessity of making re-checks, I’m just disappointed that some common sense could’ve been used to cut this long story short,” he remarked, suggesting that the original form should have allowed space for such explanations.“I see the fault as being with the three wise men in the EC in Delhi. The local officers are just following the rules and have no discretion,” he added.EC rejects use of Madhyamik admit cards for SIRIn a separate decision, the EC turned down a proposal from the West Bengal chief electoral officer to accept Madhyamik (Class X) admit cards as valid proof during the SIR exercise.In a letter sent to the state CEO, the EC said the document was not included in its approved list of admissible papers for verification.Also read: In West Bengal, SIR Hearing Notices Surge in Muslim-Majority Districts“… as per the Commission’s instructions issued vide letter dated 27.10.2025 for the conduct of SIR in West Bengal, the Madhyamik (Class X) Admit Card is not listed as an admissible document for verification purposes… In view of the above, the Commission is of the opinion that the proposal to accept Madhyamik Admit Card as a valid document cannot be acceded to,” the letter stated.As per the report, the state had suggested the admit card because it carries the candidate’s date of birth. However, complaints about large-scale issuance of duplicate admit cards after the SIR began are believed to have influenced the EC’s decision.