Supreme Court Bans Alteration of Delhi Voter Forms, Demands New Deadline for 1.45 Crore

Chief Justice Surya Kant led a bench that included Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. The court addressed petitions questioning why existing voters were being asked to re‑enrol via Form 6.

The petitions, filed by transparency activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri, cited the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Delhi, which covered 1.45 crore voters. About 9.7 million enumeration forms had been submitted, while 4.7 million were never received. The Court noted that roughly 43 lakh voters were marked as ‘permanently shifted’ or ‘absent’, with 31.59 lakh permanently shifted, 11 lakh missing or untraceable, and 2 lakh recorded as deceased.

Surya Kant’s bench warned that the Commission should not impose an October 30 cut‑off when no election is imminent. The judges asked the Election Commission to devise a voter‑centric solution and to reach out directly to those whose names had disappeared from the rolls. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, argued that existing voters should not be forced to fill Form 6, which is meant for new registrations.

The Commission has signalled its willingness to extend the deadline for submitting application forms. It is expected to submit a revised plan to the Court by early next week, outlining how it will reconfirm names without forcing re‑enrolment. The Court will likely review the plan in its next session, scheduled for early November.

If the Commission fails to comply, the Court may order a nationwide audit of the rolls. The decision underscores the judiciary’s role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process in India’s largest city.