New Delhi, 14 October (H.S.):

The Supreme Court has rescheduled the hearing in the Delhi Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case, advancing it from October 30 to October 28. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant ordered the change in the hearing date.

The petition alleges that voters whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls are being asked to submit Form 6 to have their names included again. The petitioners have sought clarification from the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the applicable rules and procedures.

During the hearing, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners Anjali Bharadwaj and Amrita Johri, informed the court that the names of more than 47 lakh voters had allegedly been removed from Delhi’s electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.

Bhushan submitted that the Election Commission was now asking these voters to fill out Form 6 to have their names reinstated. The form requires applicants to declare that they are applying for inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time.

The petitioners have questioned how individuals who were already registered voters can truthfully make such a declaration. They argued that submitting an incorrect declaration could expose applicants to prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which provides for imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both for making a false statement in connection with electoral registration.

## Petition Seeks Clarity on Forms for Reinstating Deleted Names

The petition asks the Election Commission to clarify the applicable rules and permit affected voters to submit Form 8, which is generally used for changes such as shifting residence, or introduce a separate legal mechanism or form for restoring deleted names to the electoral rolls.

The principal petition also alleges that the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi have failed to adequately disclose the names of voters who have been issued notices and the specific reasons for issuing those notices.

It further seeks disclosure of the criteria, definitions, algorithmic parameters and operational guidelines governing the classification of voters under the category of logical discrepancies.

The petitioners contend that greater transparency is necessary to ensure that the SIR process is conducted in accordance with the law and that eligible voters are not unfairly deprived of their right to vote.

## Supreme Court Seeks Explanation for Notices Issued During SIR

In an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court had observed that notices issued to voters during the Delhi SIR exercise appeared to have been generated in an almost mechanical manner. The court indicated that clarification was required regarding the basis on which logical discrepancies were identified and notices were issued.

The forthcoming hearing on October 28 is expected to address the concerns raised over the treatment of voters whose names have been deleted, the requirement to submit Form 6 for re-inclusion, and the transparency of the criteria used by election authorities during the revision exercise.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar