For voters deleted from rolls during SIR, why Form 6 remedy raises questions

The Delhi High Court recently ruled against two petitioners who argued that they should not be required to declare that they are first-time voters when applying for reinstatement to the electoral rolls after being deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The court dismissed the case, stating that the suggestion to use Form 6, which requires applicants to declare first-time voter status, came from the Election Commission of India's (ECI) counsel on the instructions of the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).

However, the issue has raised concerns about the fairness of the process, as Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act of 1950 could penalize individuals who make false statements. Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court in Goa questioned why the ECI is not allowing voters to update their addresses through Form 8, which is designed for such situations.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.