SC Refuses Deadline Extension for Maharashtra Voter Roll Revisions
The Supreme Court declined to extend the deadline for Maharashtra voter roll revisions despite claims that millions were removed.
The Supreme Court of India has declined a request to extend the deadline for filing claims and objections concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Maharashtra voter roll revisions. In a hearing held on Monday, October 26, 2026, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana decided against granting an immediate extension or staying the finalization of the electoral rolls.
Allegations of Massive Voter Deletions
The legal challenge was brought forward by petitioner Arun Anandagiri, represented by Senior Advocate Arvind Datar. The petition raises a serious alarm regarding the scale of removals from the draft electoral rolls during the Election Commission of India's (ECI) ongoing SIR exercise.
According to the petitioner, approximately 33% of Maharashtra’s 97.9 million registered voters have been removed. The breakdown of these deletions is particularly concerning:
- Logical Discrepancies: About 12.2 million voters were reportedly struck off due to what the ECI termed as "logical discrepancies."
- Relocation Issues: A significant number of voters were marked as "person not found," a situation the petitioner attributes to temporary relocations caused by massive redevelopment projects in major urban hubs like Mumbai and Pune.
The Form 6 Controversy
A central point of the legal argument involves the process of re-enrollment. The petitioner argued that forcing previously registered voters, whose names were deleted, to submit Form 6 is legally flawed. Form 6 is designed for new registrants and requires the applicant to declare that they have not voted before—a statement that would be untrue for those who were previously enrolled and active voters.
Responding to this specific concern, Chief Justice Surya Kant provided an assurance that no individual would face prosecution for submitting Form 6 in order to rectify the deletion of their name from the rolls.
What Happens Next?
Despite the gravity of the claims, the court refused to pass ex parte orders to halt the process. The ECI has already modified the SIR schedule once, moving the final publication date from November 4 to November 16, 2026.
While the deadline extension was denied for now, the court has not closed the door on the matter. The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission of India, demanding a formal response to the petition. The next hearing is scheduled for November 5, 2026, at which point the court may reconsider further extensions based on the ECI's explanations.