Amidst the controversy surrounding the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the Election Commission of India (ECI) filed a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as reported by Bar and Bench on X.
All three SIR orders -June 2025, October 2025, May 2026 - were unanimous decisions of the Commission, the affidavit submitted explained.
The affidavit also states that Form 6 has not been amended and that such an amendment can only be done by the union government. Form 6 is the document used to apply for new voter registration and to add your name to the electoral roll.
The affidavit further said that plea to restrain the CEC is not maintainable, adding that the top election official can be removed only like a Supreme Court judge.
#BREAKING on Bar & Bench Election Commission of India files counter affidavit in Supreme Court on plea against CEC's functioning; says petition built entirely on a single news reportWhat ECI says:🔹 Affidavit approved unanimously by all three members: the CEC and both Election Commissioners🔹 All three SIR orders (June 2025, October 2025, May 2026) were unanimous decisions of the Commission🔹 Notes, queries or suggestions by the CEC or ECs while a file moves are not decisions of the Commission🔹 Files go to one EC, then the other EC, then the CEC. In urgent cases, approval is taken electronically and recorded on file later🔹 Any officer issuing orders beyond delegated powers will face action🔹 July 28 work allocation order was issued by an Additional Secretary on deputation. Both ECs wrote to the Cabinet Secretary the next day. The order was never implemented after the ECs' joint direction of July 30🔹 Form 6 has not been amended. Only the Centre can amend it. The SIR declaration is a separate document🔹 Admits the online display could be read as an amendment. From October 21, the online application will be split into Form 6 and the declaration, as in the physical form🔹 Unmapped voters need not attend hearings. BLOs will collect documents from their homes. Hearings only in exceptional cases, preferably online🔹 ECINet: no name is added or deleted except by order of the ERO. A committee with experts from IIT and IISc has been set up to check compliance🔹 Goa: of 97 "left out" voters, 88 had already been enrolled, 6 were abroad and 3 held Portuguese passports🔹 West Bengal appeals against inclusion of voters were filed by officers of the CEO, West Bengal, under Supreme Court orders. "These matters were not brought to the Commission"🔹 Plea to restrain the CEC is not maintainable. CEC can be removed only like a Supreme Court judge🔹 Commission never released or authorised the release of any internal note or file to the media🔹 Repeated challenges to EVMs already rejected by the Supreme Court🔹 Short reply filed due to Dussehra vacation. ECI seeks liberty to file a detailed para-wise response#ElectionCommission #SupremeCourt #SIR
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) October 26, 2026
The Commission, in its response, also said that repeated challenges to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were already rejected by the apex court.
The row erupted following an Indian Express report that stated that questions were raised on issues related to the SIR of electoral rolls within the three-member Election Commission (EC) itself, time and again by two of the three Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The national rollout of the SIR has been under the supervision of all three Commissioners. But Sandhu and Joshi have formally objected, on record, at least 14 times over the last 10 months -- four times on a single day -- to decisions taken and orders issued, they say, without their knowledge, the report in the English daily said.
The protests gained nationwide traction, with both the INDIA bloc and movements such as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) demanding reforms in SIR as well as the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
(With agency inputs. This is a developing story. More details will be updated.)
