'All SIR decisions were unanimous': EC tells Supreme Court, seeks dismissal of petitions

In an affidavit filed before the top court on Monday, the poll panel argued that petitions challenging the SIR process were based solely on newspaper reports and should therefore be dismissed.

The response comes amid controversy over reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to certain decisions concerning the revision of voter lists and the registration of new voters.

ECI says SIR orders were unanimous

The Commission maintained that its three orders concerning the SIR process, issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026, were approved unanimously.

Explaining its decision-making procedure, the ECI said suggestions, observations and queries raised by officials, including the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners, are considered before a final decision is reached.

It stressed that questions or comments made while examining a file should not be interpreted as the Commission's final position.

According to the affidavit, files are first placed before one Election Commissioner, then the other, and finally the Chief Election Commissioner.

Approved decisions are recorded in the relevant files and signed by the commissioners before being notified and implemented by the ECI Secretariat.

The Commission further argued that suggestions or queries raised during deliberations do not, by themselves, constitute a decision of the Commission under Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.

Form 6 unchanged, commission clarifies

Addressing allegations concerning changes to Form 6, the ECI said none of the three SIR orders had altered the statutory form used to register new voters.

The Commission clarified that Form 6 is the prescribed application for voter registration, while the declaration form used alongside it is a separate document introduced for the SIR exercise.

The clarification comes amid concerns over the procedures governing the inclusion of new voters and the revision of electoral rolls.

Controversy over alleged dissent among commissioners

The poll panel has faced scrutiny following a media report alleging that Sandhu and Joshi were not adequately consulted on certain decisions and had objected to aspects of the process.

The report also claimed that the two commissioners had raised their concerns with the chief secretary.

The ECI's affidavit has now disputed the allegations surrounding its decision-making process, maintaining that the relevant orders received unanimous approval.

Supreme Court to hear seven petitions

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions concerning the controversy on Tuesday. Seven petitions are listed, including those filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, opposition leader Digvijaya Singh, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and others.

Some of the petitioners have sought action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and challenged the manner in which the poll panel took decisions relating to the SIR exercise.

On October 5, the Supreme Court had issued notices on the initial petitions, observing that it could not pass an order solely on the basis of a newspaper report and would first need to hear the respondents.

The judges had also indicated that if any decision of the Election Commission was found to be contrary to the law, the court could annul it.

The forthcoming hearing is expected to bring the legality of the SIR-related decisions and the allegations surrounding the Commission's internal decision-making under further judicial scrutiny