Election Commission informs Supreme Court that poll officials acted unanimously on electoral roll revision

NEW DELHI — The Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the Supreme Court on Monday that top poll officials acted “unanimously” in ordering the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across states and Union Territories.

In a joint affidavit filed before the apex court, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alongside Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi addressed institutional functioning and internal administrative disputes. The submission follows petitions slated for a Tuesday hearing concerning the commission’s internal operations and the roll revision process.

The ECI affidavit confirmed that two Election Commissioners previously wrote separate communications to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan regarding an internal work allocation order issued on July 28, 2026, by senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg. However, the commission stated that the disputed order was “never implemented” following a joint direction issued by the two Election Commissioners on July 30, 2026.

According to the ECI, internal work distribution has continued to operate under a prior office order dated September 23, 2025. The commission also rejected contentions that Form 6 under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, was amended by subsequent SIR orders issued in 2025 and 2026, dismissing those claims as misleading.