CJI Surya Kant: Supreme Court Did Not Approve Any Modified Form 6

The Supreme Court on Monday said it had not approved any modifications made to Form 6, the statutory application used by new voters to register themselves on electoral rolls, and indicated that it would examine who was responsible for altering the form.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was hearing petitions challenging the functioning of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raising questions over changes introduced to the online version of Form 6 on the Election Commission’s ECINET portal.

The issue came up after the Election Commission’s online registration form included an additional section seeking information about an applicant’s parents in relation to the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, however, had not been formally amended.

Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, referring to the changes, argued that the additional conditions had been circulated to applicants and had resulted in difficulties for some first-time voters. She also cited instances where applicants allegedly received notices based on the modified form.

Responding to the submissions, CJI Surya Kant clarified that the Supreme Court had not approved the modified version of Form 6. He said the court would want to determine who had made the changes once the Election Commission submits its report.

The Election Commission had earlier stated that the SIR-related declaration attached to Form 6 had been upheld by the Supreme Court. It also clarified that outside the SIR period, the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would continue to apply.

The petition before the court alleges that Form 6 was digitally altered without legislative authority or a formal amendment to the applicable rules. It further claims that the changes created difficulties for eligible first-time voters.

The Supreme Court’s observations place the focus on the authority and procedure behind the modifications and may have wider implications for the administration of electoral registration procedures.