The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to examine allegations of bulk Form 7 applications for voter deletion in the UP SIR, take corrective steps and file a compliance report, after the Commission said the forms were found false and not acted upon.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, October 30, directed the Election Commission of India to examine allegations that Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names from electoral rolls were filed in bulk during the Special Intensive Revision in Uttar Pradesh, and asked the petitioners to give the Commission a note listing the irregularities they say remain unresolved [SIR matters relating to Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh].
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana passed the direction while hearing SIR matters concerning Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh.
The direction
“The irregularities which have been brought to the notice of the Court shall be submitted to learned senior counsel appearing for the Election Commission of India by way of a note. On receipt thereof, let the Election Commission examine the factual aspects, thereafter take necessary corrective steps and file a compliance report.”
The petitioners’ case
Counsel for the petitioners told the Court that on August 5 it had asked the Commission to respond to an interim application about Form 7 submissions before Booth Level Officers, and that the issues relating to Chhattisgarh and Kerala had since been addressed, leaving Uttar Pradesh. He submitted that in one constituency 32 forms were filed against members of one particular community, that two forms on record bore the BLO’s signature, and that the Commission’s affidavit contained material inconsistencies.
He said that in Telangana and Karnataka similar complaints had led to directions for registration of FIRs, while in Uttar Pradesh nothing was done, and described it as an orchestrated effort. These are the petitioners’ allegations; the Court made no finding on them.
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The Election Commission’s response
Senior Advocate D.S. Naidu, for the Commission, accepted that bulk Form 7 applications had been submitted but said they were not acted upon. According to him, officers checked and cross-checked the forms, found them false, and did not act on them. He added that the Commission could examine further claims once a formal complaint was filed, and invited the petitioners to file one if there was any truth in their allegations.
No extension for Kerala
In the same hearing the Bench declined to extend the deadline for the SIR verification exercise in Kerala, observing that corrections and inclusion requests can be pursued through a continuing process. The Chief Justice asked counsel to identify persons who should still be given an opportunity and bring them to the authorities’ notice by way of representation, adding that the Court would ask the authorities to examine them and keep the matter pending.
Why the order matters
Form 7 is the route by which any elector can object to another person’s inclusion in the roll. Because it can be filed by a third party, bulk or targeted filings can put a voter’s name at risk without the voter’s knowledge, which is why the petitioners pressed the issue. The Commission’s position is that the forms were screened out before any deletion took place.
The Court has not decided between those accounts. Instead it has placed the burden on the Commission to examine the specific irregularities the petitioners identify, act on them, and report back on record, which gives the Court a factual basis for any further direction in the SIR litigation.
Matter: SIR petitions concerning Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh
Bench: Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, Supreme Court of India
Date of Order: October 30, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate D.S. Naidu for the Election Commission of India