SC advances hearing on Delhi voter deletion plea to October 28: What the petition seeks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on October 28 a plea seeking greater transparency in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, including the publication of the list of voters issued notices and the specific reasons for each notice.

The hearing was advanced after advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, urged a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi to take up the matter before October 30, the deadline for filing claims and objections under the revision exercise.

When Bhushan sought an earlier hearing, the bench observed, “We are thinking of passing an order that will take care of it”.

Petition seeks disclosure of voters issued SIR notices

The petitioners have sought a direction to the Election Commission (EC) to make public the list of electors who received notices during the SIR exercise in Delhi, along with the specific reasons for issuing each notice.

The plea also seeks disclosure of the criteria, definitions, algorithmic parameters and operational guidelines used to classify voters under the category of “logical discrepancies”.

The petition was filed by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri. The Supreme Court had agreed to hear it on September 22 and issued notice to the poll panel.

Voters whose names were deleted seek easier re-inclusion

During Wednesday’s hearing, Bhushan also referred to an application filed by the petitioners seeking safeguards for voters whose names were omitted from the electoral roll during the SIR exercise.

The application asks the court to direct the EC to provide an appropriate mechanism for restoring the names of previously enrolled voters without requiring them to declare that they are applying for inclusion for the first time.

It argues that such voters should not be required to submit Form 6, which is intended for eligible persons seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time.The petitioners have sought an appropriate form or declaration for previously enrolled electors whose names have been deleted. They have also asked the court to direct the EC not to reject an otherwise valid claim for inclusion or restoration solely because the applicant has not submitted the additional SIR declaration form.
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October 30 deadline for claims and objections

The Election Commission extended the deadline for filing claims and objections under the Delhi SIR exercise by a month, moving it to October 30.

The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on December 4.

Bhushan told the court that the deadline for claims and objections was approaching and requested that the plea be heard before October 30. The bench subsequently fixed October 28 for the hearing.

Supreme Court had flagged concerns over SIR notices

During the September 22 hearing, the Supreme Court told the Election Commission that notices were being issued to voters in Delhi “almost mechanically” and said additional safeguards should be considered.

The court also sought clarification on the basis for identifying “logical discrepancies” in electoral records.

The latest application raises concerns about the procedure for restoring the names of voters who were already enrolled but were subsequently omitted during the revision.
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SIR draft roll deleted 47 lakh voters in Delhi

On August 31, the Election Commission published the draft electoral roll for Delhi, which recorded the deletion of 47 lakh voters from a total electorate of 1.45 crore.

According to the poll panel, more than 43.32 lakh voters were found to have shifted residence or were absent. Over 2.82 lakh voters were identified as deceased, while more than 1.41 lakh were found to be enrolled at multiple locations.

The petitioners are seeking greater transparency in the revision process and safeguards to ensure that eligible voters can have their names included or restored in the electoral roll.