NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stated that it had neither approved nor disapproved the new Form 6 declaration used for voter registration, saying it had not adjudicated on its validity and would examine the issue.A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana made the oral observations while hearing a writ petition concerning the functioning of the Election Commission of India (EC) and changes to voter registration forms.Form 6 is the application through which an eligible person seeks inclusion in the electoral roll.READ ALSO: How Jantar Mantar became Delhi’s designated protest site and what changes nowDuring the hearing, advocate Narendra Mishra, appearing for the petitioner, referred to the Election Commission’s claim that the Supreme Court had approved the new Form 6 declaration.“There is no adjudication on the new Form 6,” Justice Bagchi said, clarifying that the court had only observed that the new form was not in existence when it delivered its judgment on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar in May 2026.“What the Hon’ble Chief Justice said was that when the Bihar SIR judgment was delivered, new Form 6 was not there. That does not either say it is approved or disapproved by the Supreme Court. We will examine it,” Justice Bagchi said, according to LiveLaw.The Chief Justice cautioned lawyers against reading too much into the court’s observations, saying, “Don’t pick up words like this …”The bench agreed to issue notice on the petition and listed the matter for October 27 along with connected petitions concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
What is Form 6 controversy
The new Form 6 declaration has become controversial following allegations that changes were introduced into the voter registration process without following the prescribed legal procedure.Under the revised declaration, applicants seeking registration as new voters are required to state whether they or their parents were mapped in the previous SIR. The earlier Form 6 used during electoral roll revisions in other states did not seek such a declaration.
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The controversy intensified after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to the changes, arguing that the form could not be modified without an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, by the Central government.On September 26, the Election Commission issued a press release suggesting that the Supreme Court had upheld the new Form 6 declaration in its May 2026 judgment concerning the Bihar SIR.However, the Supreme Court clarified on October 5 that it had not approved modifications to Form 6.READ ALSO: ‘Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar banega’: CJP after Delhi protest site de-listed
