The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that voters whose names are missing from the draft electoral rolls despite being enrolled earlier can apply afresh through Form 6 without facing prosecution, as it detailed steps taken to ensure that eligible electors are not left out of the final rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the poll panel said it had clarified that no prosecution would be launched against an applicant merely because their name figured in previous electoral rolls but was missing from the draft rolls prepared during the SIR.
The assurance applies to applicants who are not already enrolled in any other Parliamentary or Assembly constituency and whose declarations are otherwise in accordance with the law, the EC said.
The clarification follows apprehensions that voters who had been enrolled earlier could face prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, if they submitted Form 6 seeking fresh enrolment after their names were left out of the draft rolls.
The Commission said it had asked chief electoral officers (CEOs) to publicise the clarification widely, including in local languages, to allay such concerns.
The affidavit also detailed measures taken following the Supreme Court's suggestion to reach out to voters categorised as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate (ASDD) during the revision exercise.
The EC said it had issued directions on November 6 to CEOs of states and Union Territories where the SIR is underway, allowing electors who had not shifted residence to submit their duly filled Enumeration Forms (Annexure A), along with a statement explaining the reasons for their earlier non-submission.
Such forms can be submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) or Booth Level Officer (BLO) concerned, either in person or through family members. An online submission facility with e-signature is also available on ECINET, it said.
The poll panel said it had directed the establishment of a mechanism to ensure that no eligible elector was deprived of the opportunity to have their name included in the final electoral roll, while taking precautions against duplicate enrolments.
Acknowledging the challenges arising from the large volume of data involved in the exercise, the EC said it remained committed to ensuring that eligible voters were included in the electoral rolls and that inconsistencies were addressed.
"There have been and will be problems that arise from time to time and the Commission remains alive to the need to ensure that those who are eligible to vote find their names in the voters' lists but equally, at the same time, to ensure that all inconsistencies in these lists are addressed," it said.
The EC had earlier defended the SIR before the Supreme Court, maintaining that the exercise was authorised by law and that the relevant orders had been approved unanimously by all three members of the Commission.
It had also rejected allegations that Form 6 was amended, stating that no changes had been made to the statutory form used for voter registration.
(With inputs from PTI)
