barkha dutt

Important observations by the Supreme Court Bench: Form 6 is for first-time voters: Those already on the 2026 roll who merely shifted should be allowed to use Form 8, not be made to declare they were never enrolled Temporary absence is not a shift of residence: Being away on work for a month or two does not make an elector "permanently shifted." Missed the form, lost the vote?: Justice Bagchi asked whether a voter who failed to return the enumeration form forfeits his right forever, calling it "a structural incongruity which needs to be addressed." A residual category is missing: The ECI's procedure has no remedy for electors who never shifted but were never served the form. Accept late enumeration forms: Until the final roll is prepared, there is no reason to reject a form just because the deadline passed. No rush on deadlines: With no Delhi election imminent, the CJI asked why the ECI should insist on a cutoff date. Reach out, don't wait: Given Delhi's large floating population of labourers, hawkers and daily wagers, the burden should not fall entirely on them to approach the ECI. Publish the lists: Excluded names must be easily accessible, in simple Hindi and local languages, explaining the consequences of not responding. Bihar did not settle everything: Justice Bagchi said the Bihar orders were not a final ruling on every SIR question, and the legality of the "logical discrepancy" exercise remains open. Reopening 2003 entries: The Bench questioned how the ECI can reopen names already in the 2003 reference roll through an omnibus exercise.