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The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that all decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were taken unanimously, rejecting allegations that two Election Commissioners were not involved in the process.

 

In its affidavit filed before the court, the Commission said the petitions challenging the SIR process were based only on newspaper reports and should therefore be dismissed. It also maintained that its three orders relating to the exercise, issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026, were adopted unanimously.

 

The poll body explained that suggestions, observations, differing views and queries raised by officials at various stages are considered before a final decision is reached. It said the views of the Election Commissioners form part of this process, but comments or questions recorded by the Chief Election Commissioner or other Election Commissioners while examining a file do not amount to the Commission’s final decision.

 

According to the affidavit, files prepared by the relevant divisions are sent first to one Election Commissioner, then to the other, and finally to the Chief Election Commissioner. Once approved, the decision is recorded in the concerned files and carries the signatures of the Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner. The Election Commission Secretariat then notifies and implements the decision.

 

The Commission further stated that a suggestion, observation or query made by the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner to another Commissioner or an officer cannot be treated as a decision of the Election Commission under Section 18 of the 2023 Act.

 

It also rejected claims that the SIR orders had altered Form 6. The Commission clarified that none of the three orders changed the statutory Form 6 used for registering new voters.

 

Form 6, it said, remains the prescribed document for new voter registration. The Declaration Form submitted along with it is a separate document that was introduced as part of the SIR process.

 

The clarification comes after allegations that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had been kept unaware of several decisions taken by the poll body. The allegations also included claims that the two Commissioners objected to some decisions and raised the issue with the Chief Secretary.