India
oi-Ashish Rana
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended its decisions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls before the Supreme Court, maintaining that all three orders issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026 were approved unanimously by its members.
The Election Commission of India defended its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders from June 2025, October 2025, and May 2026 before the Supreme Court, asserting unanimous approval by all members and addressing issues like Form 6 and challenges to CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s functioning.
In a counter-affidavit filed on 26 October, the poll body challenged a petition questioning Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s functioning, arguing that it relied entirely on a single news report about alleged differences within the Commission.
EC Says All Three SIR Orders Had Unanimous Approval
The Commission said the decisions were approved by all three members, including the CEC and the two Election Commissioners. It also clarified that individual notes, queries and suggestions recorded during file processing should not be mistaken for the Commission’s final decisions.
According to the affidavit, files are examined by one Election Commissioner, then the other, before reaching the CEC. In urgent cases, electronic approval is obtained and documented on the file later.
Form 6 Unchanged, Online Process To Be Revised
Addressing concerns about Form 6, used to apply for inclusion in electoral rolls, the ECI said the form had not been amended and that only the Centre could amend it. The SIR declaration, it maintained, was a separate document.
However, the Commission acknowledged that the online display could appear to suggest an amendment. It said the online application process would be divided into Form 6 and a separate declaration from 21 October to match the physical application process.
The ECI also said voters who could not be mapped during the revision would not automatically have to attend hearings in person. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would collect documents from their homes, with hearings reserved for exceptional cases and preferably conducted online.
EC Defends Voter Records And Challenges Plea Against CEC
The Commission said no voter could be added to or removed from electoral rolls through ECINet without an order from the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). It also formed a committee of experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to examine compliance.
Citing Goa, the ECI said 88 of 97 voters described as left out had already been enrolled, six were abroad and three held Portuguese passports.
The Commission argued that the plea seeking to restrain the CEC was not maintainable, stating that his removal required a process similar to that applicable to a Supreme Court judge. It said its reply was brief because of the Dussehra vacation and sought permission to file a detailed response.
