New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that the way a declaration was displayed alongside online Form 6 could have given the impression that the statutory voter-enrolment form had been amended. However, the Commission maintained that no formal amendment had been made and that only the Central Government has the authority to amend Form 6.
In an affidavit filed on October 27, the ECI addressed concerns over a declaration added to its ECINET portal in July. The declaration asked applicants to provide details of themselves or their parents or grandparents in an earlier intensive revision of electoral rolls. It appeared even in states where no Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was underway before being removed from the portal on September 30.
The Commission said the declaration was intended to help applicants establish their eligibility during the SIR claims-and-objections process. If applicants or their family members could be traced in an earlier electoral roll, they could use that information without submitting additional documents.
Under a decision taken on October 21, online applications will now be handled through Form 6 and a separate SIR declaration. New voters can therefore submit Form 6 without providing details of their status in a previous SIR roll. In Tripura, where the SIR is underway, applicants will have to submit the separate declaration along with Form 6.
Questions over appeals in West Bengal
The affidavit also addressed appeals relating to West Bengal’s electoral rolls. The ECI said officers in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, had filed appeals against orders concerning the inclusion of names in electoral rolls in their capacity as authorities under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The Commission had earlier placed before the court figures showing 38.31 lakh appeals, including 16.10 lakh against orders involving electoral-roll inclusion. However, the affidavit did not clarify how many of these appeals were filed by officers from the CEO’s office or explain the reasons for those appeals.
ECI says SIR decisions were unanimous
Responding to questions about its decision-making process, the Commission said that suggestions, observations or queries raised by individual members do not, by themselves, constitute a formal decision under Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.
The ECI maintained that its decisions to launch the SIR in Bihar on June 24, 2025, and to extend the process on October 27, 2025, and May 14, 2026, were unanimous.
The case also involves a petition seeking the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar pending an inquiry into allegations concerning the Commission’s functioning. The Supreme Court has given the petitioners 10 days to respond to the affidavit. The matter remains before the court.
