By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Supreme Court on Monday said it had neither approved nor rejected the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) modified Form 6 used for voter registration, saying it had not examined the form’s validity and would consider the issue.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana made the oral observations while hearing a petition raising concerns about the functioning of the ECI and changes to the voter registration form.
The clarification came after questions were raised over the poll panel’s earlier suggestion that the Supreme Court had upheld the additional declaration attached to Form 6 in its May judgment on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Justice Bagchi said the revised form did not exist when the court delivered that judgment. “There is no adjudication on the new Form 6,” he said, clarifying that the court had neither approved nor disapproved it. Chief Justice Surya Kant cautioned lawyers against selectively quoting the court’s observations, saying, “Please don’t pick words for news items.”
The modified declaration requires applicants seeking registration as new voters to state whether they or their parents or grandparents appeared on the electoral rolls during an earlier SIR exercise. The changes have drawn objections over their legality and the procedure followed to introduce them. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the issue again on October 27, along with connected petitions.
CJI declines meeting with Congress leaders
In a related development, Chief Justice Surya Kant declined a request from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for a meeting on Monday. The leaders had sought to apprise him of their allegations of electoral irregularities, described by the Congress as “vote chori”.
The two developments come amid an intensifying political and legal dispute over electoral roll revisions and the Election Commission’s procedures. The Supreme Court’s latest observations make clear that the validity of the modified Form 6 remains open for judicial examination.