“We Have Not Approved Modified Form 6”: CJI Surya Kant Amid ECI Voter Roll Row

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that the modified version of Form 6 used in connection with voter registration has not been approved by the court. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the issue would be examined in detail after the relevant records are placed before the bench.
The observation came during a hearing on a petition questioning whether Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar exercised powers that are constitutionally assigned to the full Election Commission, which includes the two Election Commissioners.
Addressing the issue of Form 6, the Chief Justice said the Supreme Court had not approved any modification to the form and indicated that the court would examine who was responsible for making the change.
“The modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. This is clear,” the Chief Justice observed.
The Election Commission has maintained that Form 6 itself was not amended. Instead, an additional declaration was introduced for new voters as part of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The additional declaration, introduced in July, requires applicants to provide details linking themselves to their parents or grandparents in previous electoral rolls.
Form 6 is prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Any formal change to the rules would require an amendment to the existing provisions.
The controversy grew after questions were raised over whether the Election Commission had followed the required procedure while introducing the additional declaration. Concerns were also raised after an RTI response from the Law Ministry was cited as showing that it did not have information regarding any proposal from the Election Commission to amend Form 6 or the related rules.
The dispute has emerged alongside a wider controversy over decision making within the Election Commission during the electoral roll revision exercise.
Questions intensified after reports indicated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions regarding decisions and orders connected with the revision exercise, allegedly without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Supreme Court is expected to examine the records before reaching any conclusion on the Form 6 issue or the broader allegations concerning the functioning of the poll panel.