Delhi SIR: Supreme Court Asks ECI To Consider Extending October 30 Deadline

The Supreme Court today has urged the Election Commission of India to consider accepting late enumeration forms and will extend the October 30 deadline for the Delhi SIR if needed.

A CJI Surya Kant led bench has asked the ECI to explain why voters already on the 2026 roll must file Form 6, which is meant for first-time voters, after about 43 lakh were left out of the draft roll as shifted or absent. ECI has said it will file a report in two weeks.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan told court today that out of 47 lakhs who did not fill the enumeration form ECI said 43 lakh are permanently shifted and two lakhs have died.

"The problem is this, they gave the enumeration forms with the printed old address. Form 8 is for shifted voters, but ECI is saying they will have to fill up form 6. The form 6 contains a declaration that you have never voted before, which would be a false declaration," Bhushan added.

Hearing this, the bench told ECI, "There are a lot of fluctuating populations in places like Delhi, these people keep shifting also from one area to another."

"There is a structural incongruity which has to be addressed. If a person has not filled the enumeration form and draft roll has been published, our query is will ECI say you will forever lose your right to come into the electoral roll," the bench observed today.

Two weeks back, the issue was flagged before Supreme Court by a few voters who were asked by the Election Commission to re-enroll under the Form-6 as the Special intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in underway.

In the Delhi SIR petition, Supreme Court on September 22 had questioned the Election Commission of India over the manner in which notices were being issued to voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of Delhi’s electoral rolls. Court heard a plea concerning notices issued to more than 33 lakh voters whose names have been flagged for either “no mapping” with the 2002 electoral roll or “logical discrepancies.”

The Court observed that the notices appeared to have been issued “almost mechanically” and sought clarification from the ECI on the basis for identifying voters under the “logical discrepancy” category. The Bench also sought details regarding the manpower deployed for the verification exercise. The petition has been filed by activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri and argued by advocate Prashant Bhushan. It challenges the failure to disclose the names of voters who have been issued notices and the specific reasons for such notices.

The petitioners have sought a searchable, consolidated list identifying all electors who received notices, along with the precise reason for each notice. They have also sought disclosure of the criteria, algorithmic parameters and operational guidelines used to identify “logical discrepancies.”

The Delhi SIR has generated significant attention after the draft electoral roll published on August 31, 2026 removed around 47.7 lakh names from the existing list of approximately 1.45 crore electors. The Election Commission said the enumeration phase resulted in forms being collected and uploaded for about 97.51 lakh electors. Those whose names are missing from the draft roll can file claims for inclusion between August 31 and September 30, along with the prescribed forms and supporting documents. The process also provides for verification and hearings where required. The Delhi SIR schedule has been revised three times. Under the latest timeline, the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 4, 2026.

Hearing Date: October 28, 2026

Bench: CJI Kant, Justice Bagchi and Justice Mohana

Case Title: Anjali Bharadwaj vs ECI