Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Election Commission's New Voter Re-Enrollment System

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear the arguments on November 19 regarding the Election Commission's new system requiring voters whose names were removed from the draft voter list during Delhi's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to fill out Form-6 to get re-enrolled. The court has directed the petitioners to file an appropriate application to bring the Election Commission's November 3 clarification on record. Chief Justice Surya Kant also indicated that, if necessary, the Commission could be asked to consider extending the application deadline. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana stated that people do not need to panic as the court is hearing the matter. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri, questioned the Commission's new clarification. "No need to be panic, we are hearing the matter, as it is before us," the CJI assured the petitioners. Bhushan argued that the Election Commission's November 3 clarification appears to contradict the Supreme Court's October 28 observations. He contended that individuals previously included in the voter list but removed during the SIR should be given the option to restore their names through Form-8 or an enumeration form, rather than being forced to fill out Form-6 like a new voter. Form-6 is generally used for registering in the voter list for the first time. On the other hand, Form-8 is used for circumstances such as correcting names, addresses, or other details, as well as for transfers in the voter list. In its November 3 clarification sent to the Chief Electoral Officers of the states, the Election Commission stated that if a person's name is missing from the draft voter list, they can apply to include their name in the final voter list via Form-6.