Voters dropped in SIR can reapply without fear of prosecution, Election Commission says

Voters whose names are missing from the draft electoral rolls published during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can apply afresh to be included without fear of prosecution simply because they were registered before, the Election Commission of India told state chief electoral officers on Tuesday.

The clarification addresses a worry that has kept some dropped voters from reapplying. Form 6, the application for inclusion in the roll, requires the applicant to declare that their name is being added for the first time. Some voters who had been on earlier rolls feared that signing that declaration could be treated as false and invite action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which punishes false declarations, ETV Bharat and Business Standard reported.

In its letter, the Commission said electoral registration officers should not start Section 31 proceedings merely because a person who appeared on an earlier roll files Form 6 during or after the SIR, according to the reports. The protection applies only if the applicant is not already registered in another parliamentary or assembly constituency and the declaration otherwise complies with the law. Eligible voters can seek inclusion during the revision or after the final roll is published.

The Commission asked chief electoral officers to publicise the clarification widely, including in local languages. The SIR has drawn objections from opposition parties over the scale of deletions from draft rolls in several states.