New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has informed the Delhi High Court that two voters whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls after they failed to complete the enumeration process during the Special Intensive Revision in Delhi can submit Form 6 to address their grievance. The court subsequently closed their petition after observing that the concern of one of the petitioners that submitting Form 6 could expose him to accusations of making a false declaration was misplaced.
The petitioners had originally challenged the procedure prescribed by the Election Commission for existing voters who could not be enumerated during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. They sought the restoration of their electoral entries and permission to correct and transfer their names through Form 8 rather than applying for fresh inclusion through Form 6. According to their submissions, they had moved from their previous address and were consequently unable to fill out the enumeration forms, which ultimately led to the deletion of their names from the rolls.
Counsel for the Election Commission informed the court that the affected individuals could seek redress by submitting Form 6 under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. He added that the electoral registration officer would assist them, but noted that the petitioners had chosen not to utilize that option for reasons of their own.
Form 6 serves as the designated application for fresh inclusion in an electoral roll, requiring applicants to provide personal details along with a declaration stating they are seeking inclusion for the first time. Because a false declaration under this form can carry penal action, the petitioners had expressed hesitation.
A bench comprising Justices Dinesh Mehta and Aditi Choudhary stated that the petitioner's apprehension was unfounded since the suggestion to use Form 6 came directly from the Election Commission's standing counsel upon the instructions of the electoral registration officer. The bench noted that with the ECI counsel putting forward this remedy on official instructions, any fear of facing false declaration charges is entirely unjustified.
Concluding the proceedings, the high court closed the writ petition while clarifying that the petitioners may proceed with filling out Form 6 if they so desire, and that their applications will be duly processed in accordance with the law.