New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has raised a broader issue than electoral-roll accuracy: compliance with electoral law and rules and uniform application of the same standards to every elector.At the centre is Form 6, the statutory application for electoral enrolment. During SIR, a non-statutory declaration was introduced alongside Forms 6 and 8, seeking additional information linking applicants and their relatives to previous SIR records. This created discrepancies arising from outdated or manually prepared records, leading to notices, verification and, in some cases, deletion followed by claims and appeals.The EC’s direction of October 1, 2026, to states/Union Territories where SIR has been completed adds another complication. It provides for enrolment of SIR dropouts through Form 6, although Form 6 is meant for first-time inclusion, not restoration of electors deleted during SIR.Act, rules and amendmentsIndia’s electoral-roll system rests primarily on the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which govern preparation, revision and correction of electoral rolls and prescribe the relevant forms and procedures.The framework changed significantly with the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, which enabled the EC to seek Aadhaar details for authentication of electoral-roll entries. These provisions came into force in 2022, followed by the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules, 2022, and the EC’s Manual on Electoral Rolls, March 2023.Form 6 derives its authority from the Act and Rules. Any substantive change must follow the prescribed legal process, including Union government notification where required. An EC portal or operational instruction cannot substitute for that process.Evolution, declaration, and logical discrepanciesBefore the 2021–23 amendments, Form 6 covered enrolment, including previously enrolled electors and shifting residence to another constituency. Form 8 covered shifting within a constituency and corrections. The earlier Form 6 was subsequently superseded by the electoral-rule amendments of 2021–23.Under the current framework, Form 6 is how an application for first-time inclusion in the electoral roll is made, with a declaration that the applicant is seeking “inclusion in Electoral Roll for the first time.” Form 6 therefore is not the general route for restoring an elector previously on the roll. Any false declaration attracts the penal provisions of Section 31 of ROPA, 1950, including imprisonment of up to one year.Form 8 covers shifting of an existing elector and correction of entries. Aadhaar details have been sought for authentication, but Aadhaar is not mandatory.In early 2026, SIR introduced an Annexure-IV Declaration alongside Forms 6 and 8, seeking details of the father/guardian, mother and spouse, including EPIC numbers, to map applicants against existing rolls and 2002–04 SIR records.Also read: ‘Four in 10 Appeals Against Voter Inclusion Came From Election Commission,’ Says Bengal SIR Tribunal JudgeThis mapping exposed name and surname mismatches, implausible age gaps, multiple electors linked to the same address or parents, and spelling or transliteration errors in legacy records. These could trigger notices, hearings, verification and exclusion from the rolls. More than 90 million names were reportedly deleted, excluding deaths and duplicates, with many potentially restorable through claims, verification and the appellate process.The Annexure-IV requirement also raised concerns about introducing a substantive enrolment requirement without the prescribed legal process. Following objections reportedly raised by two Election Commissioners, it has been withdrawn in non-SIR states/Union Territories, but continues in States/Union Territories where SIR is underway. Its withdrawal in non-SIR states/Union Territories will ease enrolment for first-time voters.The withdrawal does not undo discrepancies already generated in States where SIR has been completed. Extending it to ongoing SIR states could have prevented further discrepancies.Procedural confusionThe EC’s direction dated October 1, 2026, to States/UTs where SIR has been completed directs Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to facilitate, within one month, enrolment of left-out/drop-out electors from SIR, along with newly eligible young and first-time electors, using Form 6.As already stated above, Form 6 is for first-time inclusion, not restoration of electors deleted during SIR. A previously enrolled elector cannot use Form 6 for restoration. SIR-deleted electors must pursue the prescribed claims and appellate process.Using Form 6 for restoration of a deleted name requires a first-time-inclusion declaration and can expose the applicant to punishment of up to one year’s imprisonment under Section 31 of ROPA, 1950. Electoral officials may also face consequences under the applicable statutory provisions.The EC should clearly distinguish first-time enrolment from restoration and provide adequate time for affected electors to use the statutory remedies. First-time applicants, previously enrolled electors and SIR-deleted electors require distinct statutory procedures.Elite re-registrationWhile ordinary electors faced discrepancies, verification and appeals, the rapid re-registration of Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha raises concerns about uniform application of the process.His name was deleted from Punjab’s SIR roll as “permanently shifted”. Ordinarily, Form 8 would be used, requiring verification by electoral authorities in both Punjab and Delhi. The Delhi CEO confirmed his re-registration within a week but did not disclose the form or procedure used.Also read: Politic | Is Democracy About Rulers’ Diktat or People’s Rights?If the current Form 6 was used, its first-time-inclusion requirement would need to be reconciled with his established electoral record. Any knowingly false declaration would attract the applicable penal provisions.If the superseded Form 6 was used, its legal basis after the 2021–23 amendments requires clarification. The application and verification records should establish the procedure and approvals involved. The subsequent disabling of the superseded Form 6 link on ECINet, without a public explanation, further highlights the need for transparency regarding its legal status and use.AccountabilityAccountability extends beyond the citizen. Section 31 of ROPA, 1950 provides up to one year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both for knowingly making a false electoral-roll declaration. Section 32 provides three months to two years’ imprisonment and a fine for an electoral-roll official who, without reasonable cause, breaches statutory duties relating to revision, correction, inclusion or exclusion of entries.Also read: No Suspension for CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Supreme Court Issues Notice, Says it Didn’t Approve Modified Form 6Restoring a name deleted during SIR through Form 6 may attract penal action under Sections 31 and 32 of ROPA, 1950, potentially exposing both the applicant and electoral officials to imprisonment.Responsibility therefore extends from the applicant to the ERO/AERO and supervisory authorities including CEC/ECs. Every stage must be lawfully authorised, properly verified, digitally recorded and open to review.One rule, one standardThe Form 6 controversy, the SIR declaration and the re-registration case point to one basic principle: the same statutory rules, verification requirements and safeguards must apply to every elector.The EC is expected to follow statutory provisions as prescribed, rather than introduce procedures that create confusion or leave millions uncertain about their rights and remedies. Electoral rules cannot be selectively applied or administratively altered in ways that undermine established democratic safeguards. Any withdrawal or correction should also address its impact on affected electors and ensure institutional accountability.One rule, one process, one verifiable standard – for every elector. Democracy cannot depend on administrative discretion, convenience or selective application of the rules.Rajeev Kumar is a former Professor of Computer Science at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, BITS Pilani, and JNU, and a former scientist at DRDO and DST.For our full coverage on the SIR and the issues it has brought to citizens, click here.