New Delhi:
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has termed allegations by Rahul Gandhi that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar illegally and unilaterally changed Form 6 during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as “misleading”.
In a post on X on Monday, the poll body responded to allegations made by the Leader of Opposition, who had cited an earlier statement issued by the poll body concerning the declaration attached to Form 6. The ECI said the order launching the SIR exercise in Bihar on June 24, 2025, had been issued with the “unanimous approval” of the Commission. It also pointed to a Supreme Court judgment of May 27, 2026, saying the court had upheld that order.
The Commission further said that a statement contained in its September 26 press note — Point 1(iii) said, “The declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”
Fact Check ❌The statement made in this post is misleading ✅1) The order for SIR in Bihar issued on 24 June 2025 was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. This order has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in its judgment dated 27 May 2026 ✅2) In its Press Note No. 120 dated 26 September 2026, in Point 1(iii), ECI has stated that, “The declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.” #ECIFactCheck
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) October 5, 2026
But the Commission’s response did not directly address the central allegation raised by Gandhi which was whether the specific modified version of Form 6 currently being used was introduced by the Chief Election Commissioner without proper approval. That issue was at the centre of proceedings in the Supreme Court on Monday.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said it would examine the official record to determine who had introduced the changes after the Election Commission claimed last week that the new declaration attached to the online version of Form 6 had received the Supreme Court’s approval.
“Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let’s be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified it,” the Chief Justice said during the hearing.
The court’s observation came while it was hearing a petition filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi seeking prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and other officials over alleged unilateral decisions relating to the SIR exercise.
Form 6 is used by citizens applying for inclusion in electoral rolls for the first time. The dispute concerns a new declaration added to the online version of the form during the SIR exercise. Under the new declaration, applicants are required to state whether they or their parents were mapped in the previous SIR.
The requirement was not part of the earlier Form 6 used during SIR exercises in other states.
Source: www.ndtv.com
