The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday (October 26) rejected allegations of unilateral decision-making by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Supreme Court that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was undertaken in accordance with the law and the three orders on its roll-out were approved unanimously by the poll body's three members.In its response to pleas alleging that the Election Commission took several decisions without the approval of the two election commissioners, including 'changes' in Form 6, which is used for enrolling in the voter list, the ECI said that the petition is based entirely on a news report.
The EC, in its counter-affidavit filed in the apex court, maintained that the CEC and both Election Commissioners had unanimously approved the affidavit.
This affidavit has been filed jointly on behalf of the Chief Election Commissioner and the two other Election Commissioners.
All SIR orders unanimous: EC
The poll panel further said the SIR orders issued on June 24, 2025, October 27, 2025, and May 14, 2026, were approved unanimously by the Commission's three members.
The EC said that before any decision is taken, the suggestions, views, and queries of officials and Election Commissioners are considered. After taking all relevant inputs into account, the competent members of the Commission arrive at a decision, and orders are issued accordingly. Files within the Election Commission are routed first to one Election Commissioner, then to the other, and finally to the Chief Election Commissioner. Once approval is granted, the decision is recorded in the Commission’s file, and the signatures of the concerned Commissioners are obtained. Subsequently, the Secretariat of the Election Commission issues a notification regarding the decision and ensures its implementation.In its affidavit, the EC said, "Any suggestion, view, or query offered by the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner—to other Commissioners or to any official of the Commission—does not, in itself, constitute an official decision of the Election Commission. An official decision is only one that has been arrived at by the Commission in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law."
The poll body further said that it is not mandatory to summon 'unmapped' voters for a hearing; Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit their homes to collect the necessary documents.
No voter's name is added to or removed from the electoral roll on ECINet without an order from the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). In Goa, out of the 97 voters reported as 'left out,' 88 were already included in the electoral roll, 6 were abroad, and 3 held Portuguese passports, it said.
The Commission asserted that the process for removing the CEC from office is the same as that for a Supreme Court judge; therefore, a petition seeking to restrain the CEC is not maintainable.
The Commission stated that it has not authorised the release of any internal notes or files to the media.
A brief response has been filed due to the Dussehra holidays; the Commission has requested permission to submit a detailed, point-by-point response.
No changes to Form 6
The Commission has rejected the allegation that 'Form 6' was amended through orders related to the 'SIR'. The Commission clarified that the authority to amend 'Form 6' rests solely with the Central government.
It acknowledged that the online form may appear to have been amended, and clarified that, effective October 21, the application and the declaration form have been separated. "A 'declaration form' is a separate document; however, the Election Commission acknowledged that, on the online portal, 'Form 6' and the 'declaration form' were displayed in a manner that could have created the impression that 'Form 6' itself had been altered," it said.