3 min readOct 17, 2026 07:21 PM ISTDelhi HC says petitioners missing from SIR draft can fill new voter form (File Photo)A petition by a lawyer and his kin, who missed filling up the enumeration forms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, to get included in voter rolls without registering as fresh voters was recently turned down by the Delhi High Court. The petitioners who have not appeared on the SIR draft, the court underlined, can fill Form 6, and register as fresh voters.Advocate Nilotpal Datta and his kin had moved the High Court, seeking that Election Commission of India be directed to “recast the procedure governing existing electors who could not be enumerated during the SIR” “…so as to preserve the statutory procedure for correction and transposition of their existing electoral entries, including through Form 8, instead of requiring them to seek fresh inclusion through Form 6.” Form 8 allows for the correction in the entries in existing electoral rolls.The petitioners told the High Court that they could not fill the enumeration forms as per the SIR timeline as they had shifted from the old residence, and subsequently, their names got deleted from the electoral rolls for the Capital.Also Read | Over 60% of 33 lakh SIR cases in Delhi disposed of, shows CEO dataDatta, arguing the case in person, had raised an apprehension that if they furnish a Form 6, it would be a false declaration, as Form 6 — the statutory form meant for fresh registration of first-time voters —- seeks a declaration from the applicant that they have never voted before while they had voted earlier.However, ECI’s counsel Sanjay Vashishtha, on the other hand, argued that so far as Form 6 is concerned, it is with regard to the new roll being prepared for the ongoing SIR process, which effectively means an applicant is a first time voter for the new roll being prepared, and that Form 8 is only for rectification once a voter has been included in the roll or for rectifying details of an existing voter on the roll preceding the SIR exercise.On behalf of the poll body, Vashishtha also submitted that the petitioners’ grievances can be redressed by furnishing Form 6.A bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Aditi Choudhary on October 14 opined that “when the suggestion is coming from the learned standing counsel appearing for ECI, that too as per the instructions of the Electoral Registration Officer, petitioner’s apprehension that he would be accused of furnishing a false declaration is misplaced.”Story continues below this adDisposing of the plea, the bench kept it open for the petitioners so that they may fill Form 6, which shall be processed as per law.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdSohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... 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