The Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that every decision on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was taken unanimously. In a joint counter-affidavit, the poll panel also made a notable admission about how the declaration was shown online, as reported by LiveLaw.
Rejecting Claims Of Unilateral Action
The Commission rejected allegations that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar acted alone or overrode Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The affidavit was filed by Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu and approved by all three members.
DON'T MISS
All Three SIR Orders Were Unanimous
The ECI said the orders dated June 24, 2025, October 27, 2025, and May 14, 2026 were decisions of the full Commission. It added that queries or differing views noted while a file moves do not count as dissent.
Form 6 Was Not Amended
The Commission clarified that Form 6, the voter registration application, was not changed. Only the Central Government can amend it under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The Online Display Admission
The ECI accepted that showing the SIR declaration page right beside Form 6 on the online portal could be seen as an amendment or cause confusion. It said the aim was to let users finish the process with one OTP and e-signature. To fix this, the online application will be split into two parts from October 21, 2026, matching the physical form.
Relief For Unmapped Voters
Unmapped voters will not routinely need to attend physical hearings. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) will visit homes to collect documents. In-person hearings will be kept for exceptional cases and will preferably be held online.
Challenge To The PIL
The ECI also questioned whether the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Rakesh Kumar Singh can be heard at all. It argued that the petition rests on a single media report with no independent verification.
