SIR: Modified Form 6 not approved by Supreme Court, says CJI

Chief Justice Surya Kant on Monday verbally observed that the Supreme Court had not approved any changes to the Election Commission’s Form 6, which is used to register new voters, Live Law reported.

Kant was hearing petitions seeking the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for allegedly taking unilateral decisions regarding the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.

The Election Commission had claimed in a statement on September 26 that a declaration attached to Form 6 for the voter roll revision exercise had been upheld by the Supreme Court. It had also announced that the old version of Form 6 would be used in periods when SIR is not underway.

“Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us,” Kant was quoted as having said. “Let’s be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who modified [it].”

During the hearing on Monday, the bench of Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana refused to issue an interim order on the pleas to suspend Kumar for allegedly failing to consider objections of the two other election commissioners.

But it issued notices to Kumar, the poll panel, the Union government, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi and Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg.

Reacting to Kant’s remarks, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that it...

Read more