Election Commission Tells Supreme Court: All SIR Decisions Taken Unanimously

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed the Supreme Court that its decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were taken unanimously, rejecting allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar acted unilaterally.

In its counter-affidavit, the poll panel stated that the three SIR-related orders, issued on June 24, 2025, October 27, 2025, and May 14, 2026, were unanimous decisions of the Commission.

The ECI further clarified that the affidavit itself was unanimously approved by CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The response comes amid a legal challenge alleging that key decisions were taken in the name of the Commission without the required approval of its members. The ECI argued that the petition relied on a newspaper report and maintained that internal observations, queries or objections during file processing do not, by themselves, constitute final decisions of the Commission.

Form 6 controversy
The Commission also denied amending Form 6, used for voter registration, stating that statutory amendments can only be made by the Central Government. It maintained that the additional SIR declaration was a separate document, while acknowledging that its online presentation could have created the impression of an amendment.

The ECI has also defended the existing decision-making procedure under Section 18 of the 2023 Act.

The Supreme Court is examining the petitions challenging the Commission's functioning and the conduct of the SIR exercise. The allegations remain under judicial consideration, and no final ruling on the issues has been reported.