Election Commission Completes Form 6 U-Turn, Removes SIR Declaration; Deleted Voters Can Reapply Without Fear of Prosecution
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has completed a significant reversal concerning the inclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration in Form 6, the statutory application used for fresh voter registration. The latest decision removes the controversial SIR declaration from the online Form 6 application, following objections raised by two Election Commissioners who had questioned the legality of the change.
The development comes amid growing scrutiny of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise, which has raised concerns over the deletion of names from electoral rolls and the procedures available to affected voters seeking re-inclusion.
Under the earlier online arrangement, applicants submitting Form 6 were required to answer an additional SIR-related declaration. It asked whether their names, or those of their parents or grandparents, appeared in electoral rolls during an earlier intensive revision conducted in the early 2000s. Applicants could not proceed without answering the additional questions.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to incorporating the declaration directly into Form 6. They argued that the prescribed statutory form could not be altered by the Election Commission without a formal amendment by the Central Government under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Sandhu had described the change as “unauthorised/illegal”, while Joshi had questioned its legal validity. Following the objections, the Commission eventually decided to separate the SIR declaration from the statutory application.
According to the Election Commission’s affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Electoral Roll Division decided on October 21, 2026, that online applications would follow the same two-part arrangement used for physical submissions. Form 6 would remain separate from the additional SIR declaration.
The controversy has also prompted a fresh clarification concerning voters whose names have disappeared from draft electoral rolls during the ongoing SIR process.
On November 3, the Election Commission informed Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories that previously registered voters whose names are missing from draft electoral rolls can submit Form 6 to seek fresh inclusion in the final electoral list.
The Commission specifically clarified that submitting Form 6 does not automatically amount to making a false declaration merely because an applicant was registered as a voter previously.
The clarification addresses concerns surrounding the declaration in Form 6, which requires applicants to state that they are seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time. Some previously enrolled voters had reportedly hesitated to submit the application, fearing that the declaration could expose them to prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The Election Commission has now directed that Electoral Registration Officers must not initiate action under Section 31 merely because an applicant was included in an earlier electoral roll and subsequently submitted Form 6 during or after the SIR exercise.
However, the protection comes with conditions. Applicants must not already be enrolled in another Parliamentary or Assembly constituency, and their declarations must otherwise comply with the law.
The Commission has also referred to a Delhi High Court judgment dated October 14, 2026, which addressed concerns about previously enrolled voters submitting Form 6. The court had considered the apprehension of making a false declaration misplaced and allowed the applications to be considered according to the prescribed legal procedure.
The latest clarification is expected to address uncertainty among voters who have found their names missing from draft electoral rolls and are seeking an opportunity to restore their voting rights.
The Commission has instructed Chief Electoral Officers to communicate the clarification to election officials and publicise the information widely through local-language media so that affected voters are aware of the available procedure.
The developments mark two important changes in the Commission’s handling of Form 6: the separation of the SIR declaration from the statutory online application and the clarification that previous voter registration alone cannot be grounds for prosecution when seeking fresh inclusion.
However, questions surrounding the SIR exercise, voter deletions, administrative accountability and the functioning of electoral databases continue to attract political and legal scrutiny across the country.
