Voters Can Fill Form 6 to Restore Names Deleted From Electoral Rolls: EC to Delhi HC

Voters whose names were deleted from Delhi’s electoral rolls after they missed the enumeration process during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can apply for re-inclusion through Form 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Delhi High Court.

A bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Aditi Choudhary closed proceedings on a petition filed by two voters seeking restoration of their names in the electoral rolls after they were unable to complete the enumeration process because they had shifted from their previous address.

The petitioners had challenged the procedure prescribed by the ECI for existing voters who could not be covered during the SIR exercise. They sought restoration of their electoral entries and permission to correct or transfer their details through Form 8, instead of being required to apply afresh through Form 6.

Their concern was that applying through Form 6, the statutory application for fresh inclusion in the electoral roll, would require them to declare that they were applying for inclusion for the first time. They feared that such a declaration could expose them to allegations of submitting false information, potentially attracting penal consequences.

Addressing the concern, the ECI’s counsel told the court that the voters could seek redressal by submitting Form 6 under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The counsel also said the electoral registration officer would provide assistance, but the petitioners had not opted for the suggested route.

The bench observed that the apprehension of petitioner number one about being accused of making a false declaration was “misplaced”, particularly because the suggestion to use Form 6 had come from the Commission’s standing counsel on the instructions of the electoral registration officer.

Closing the case, the court clarified that the petitioners could submit Form 6 if they wished, and their applications would be processed in accordance with the law.

The order provides a route for the two petitioners to seek inclusion in the electoral rolls, although it does not itself direct the immediate restoration of their names. Their applications will have to be processed under the applicable legal provisions.