Election Commission’s Form 6 Changes Under Scrutiny as Supreme Court Sets Hearing

New Delhi, 12th October 2026: The Supreme Court on Monday, 12th October, clarified that it had neither approved nor rejected the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) revised Form 6 for voter registration, stating that the issue was not before the court when it heard the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case earlier this year.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana made the clarification while hearing a petition challenging aspects of the Election Commission’s functioning and changes linked to voter registration.

The clarification comes amid a controversy over the ECI’s September 26 statement, which indicated that the Supreme Court had upheld the additional declaration introduced alongside Form 6 during the electoral roll revision exercise.

Form 6 is the application used by eligible Indian citizens seeking to register as voters. The revised version introduced an additional declaration asking applicants whether they or their parents had been included in an electoral roll prepared during an earlier SIR exercise.

During Monday’s hearing, Justice Bagchi clarified that the revised form did not exist when the court delivered its judgment in the Bihar SIR matter in May 2026. Therefore, the court had not examined its validity. He said the earlier observations should not be interpreted as either approval or rejection of the modified form.

The bench also cautioned against interpreting the court’s remarks beyond what had actually been stated. It agreed to examine the challenge to the revised Form 6 and listed the matter for 27th October, along with connected petitions concerning the Election Commission.

The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to the changes, questioning whether the form could be modified without following the prescribed procedure under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The Election Commission has maintained that the statutory Form 6 itself was not changed and that the additional declaration was introduced specifically for the SIR exercise. The dispute centres on whether the additional requirement was introduced through the legally prescribed process.

The latest clarification does not settle the legality of the revised form. Instead, the Supreme Court has made clear that the issue remains open for judicial examination, with the next hearing scheduled for 27th October.