What began as internal dissent has escalated into a public controversy involving media exposés, official clarifications, and a sharp Supreme Court rebuke, raising questions about transparency and procedural propriety. The Election Commission of India (ECI) finds itself under intense scrutiny over modifications linked to Form 6, the statutory application for enrolling new voters under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi repeatedly objected. Just a day after the Supreme Court clarified that it had not approved any modification to Form 6, Election Commission officials on Tuesday asserted that the document itself had not been modified. They explained that a separate declaration had been attached to Form 6 as part of the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) order, which was upheld by the apex court. In May 2026, they recorded that Form 6 could not be altered without amending the 1960 Rules. These objections, among 14 instances of dissent against decisions under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, came to light through a detailed Indian Express investigation published on September 23, 2026.
On August 13, Sandhu termed the online change “unauthorised and illegal” and demanded its immediate removal, citing risks of harassment to first-time voters.
