Supreme Court states it has not approved changes to voter registration Form 6

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stated on Monday that the Supreme Court has not approved any changes to Form 6, the statutory document utilized by first-time voters for registration.

A three-judge bench headed by the CJI made the observation while hearing petitions directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The bench indicated that it intends to examine who carried out the modifications after receiving a formal report from the Election Commission.

The controversy arose after the online version of Form 6 on the Election Commission’s ECINET portal incorporated a new section requiring applicants to provide their parents’ status concerning the last Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. This digital insertion occurred without any statutory amendment to the form or to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy raised the issue before the court, citing an illustration from Delhi. Arguing that unlawful conditions were introduced into circulated copies of Form 6, she stated that the modifications prevented eligible individuals from remaining on the electoral roll and noted that she had personally received a notice based on the altered document.

Responding to the submission, the CJI stated, “Let’s be very clear. Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us… Let us also be clear that when the report will be produced, we will like to see who has modified what.”

The court is hearing a petition filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, which alleges that the digital alteration of Form 6 on the ECINet portal in July 2026 was executed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in concert with DG-IT without legislative authority or a rule amendment under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The plea claims the alteration subjected young, eligible first-time electors to arbitrary harassment.

According to the petition, Commissioner Sandhu formally recorded on August 13, 2026, that the alteration was unauthorised and illegal and ordered its immediate withdrawal, yet the unapproved form remained live on the portal. The petition further alleges that the CEC’s actions bear no legal connection to official duties, fall outside official immunity, and constitute distinct personal criminal liability.

The Election Commission has since removed the SIR declaration from the ECINET application portal in states where the revision process has concluded. The poll body announced on September 26 that forms applicable under the Registration of Electors Rules 1960 will be utilized during non-SIR periods.