Politics · India Bureau
ECI Form 6 controversy: Petitioners seek urgent court intervention on voter rolls
Petitioners have moved the Supreme Court urgently over the Election Commission of India's continued insistence that previously registered voters, who were struck off electoral rolls, must reapply as new voters under Form 6. The court had previously found the ECI's approach to be erroneous.
LSN India ·
The Supreme Court on October 28 had made explicit that the Election Commission of India was operating in "error" by requiring voters whose names had been deleted from electoral rolls to submit fresh applications as new electors under Form 6 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Despite this judicial directive, the ECI has persisted with the same procedure, prompting petitioners to file an urgent mentioning in the Supreme Court seeking immediate intervention. The petitioners contend that the commission's continued adherence to the Form 6 requirement contradicts the court's earlier finding and places an undue burden on previously enrolled voters.
The matter centers on the distinction between new voter registrations and the restoration of voting rights for individuals whose names had been legitimately removed from electoral rolls. Petitioners argue that treating these as equivalent situations is procedurally incorrect and administratively burdensome.
The Supreme Court's October 28 pronouncement suggested that an alternative procedural mechanism should be employed for voters seeking reinstatement after deletion. The current dispute underscores tensions between the ECI's administrative practices and judicial interpretation of electoral law.