Top court questions re-enrolment of voters in Delhi

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, October 29, 2026

India’s Supreme Court has questioned the Election Commission’s requirement for registered Delhi voters to re-register as new voters during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and urged a reconsideration of the October 30 deadline. The court emphasized maintaining established registration procedures to prevent disenfranchisement and called for proactive outreach to missing voters, highlighting concerns affecting millions on the updated voter list.

India’s Supreme Court has raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Delhi, questioning why registered voters are being required to re-register as new voters. The court urged the Election Commission to simplify the process and reconsider the existing October 30 deadline for the revision exercise.

During hearings on petitions challenging the SIR in the national capital, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that the Election Commission should not alter established procedures, including the prescribed formats of Forms 6, 7, and 8 used for voter registration and updates. Form 6 is intended for new registrations, while Form 8 is used to update details such as residential address changes. The court questioned why individuals already enrolled should be asked to submit Form 6 if their names are missing from the revised rolls, stressing that previously registered voters should not be treated as first-time registrants.

The bench, which also includes Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, expressed doubts about the necessity of the October 30 deadline, noting that no elections are scheduled in Delhi in the near future. "Do not set a cut-off date for the re-enrolment of names," the judges observed, urging the Election Commission to adopt a more flexible approach. The court recommended that the Commission proactively reach out to voters whose names are missing, rather than passively awaiting application submissions.

The Election Commission has indicated a willingness to extend the deadline for receiving enumeration forms. At the heart of the petitions, filed by transparency activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri, is the impact of the SIR on millions of Delhi voters. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, informed the court that Delhi’s voter list initially contained approximately 14.5 million names before the revision began. Of these, around 9.7 million individuals submitted their enumeration forms, while approximately 4.7 million did not respond.

Furthermore, Bhushan cited Election Commission data classifying around 4.3 million voters as permanently shifted or absent, raising concerns about potential disenfranchisement. The Supreme Court’s scrutiny highlights ongoing debates about the administration of voter registration processes in India’s capital and the need to balance electoral integrity with accessibility.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.