Supreme Court Advances Delhi Voter Restoration Hearing

The Supreme Court of India advanced a hearing on a petition challenging the Election Commission of India’s requirement that Delhi voters removed from the draft electoral roll use a first-time applicant form to seek restoration. The hearing, initially listed for October 30, will now take place on October 28, two days before the claims-and-objections deadline. Chief Justice Surya Kant said the bench was considering an order to address the issue, according to accounts of the October 14 hearing. The court has not yet issued a ruling on the requested remedy. The application was filed by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri in their pending challenge to procedures used in Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision, or SIR. Their counsel, Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi, argue that Form 6 is unsuitable for voters who were previously enrolled because it requires applicants to declare that they are seeking inclusion for the first time. They ask the Election Commission to provide another mechanism, such as a different form, for restoring those voters’ names. The petitioners also argue that requiring the declaration could expose applicants to legal consequences for making a false statement.