ECI Voter Deletions in Goa: Bombay High Court Questions SIR Process and Software Glitches

Searches for "eci voter" spiked in India during mid-October 2026 following a series of legal challenges against the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Goa. The controversy centers on the mass deletion of names, a dispute over which application forms are legally required for address changes, and a technical failure in the ECI's digital infrastructure.

Bombay High Court Scrutinizes SIR Deletions

The Bombay High Court at Goa, through a Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar, has raised serious concerns about how the ECI managed the SIR process. On 17 October 2026, the court observed that the electoral roll currently in force remains valid until a draft roll is officially finalised under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 The Hindu.

The court's intervention was prompted by a petition from the Salgaonkar family, whose names were removed from the draft roll despite submitting Form 8 for an address change. The Bench emphasized that the ECI has a constitutional obligation to ensure citizens are included in the voter list, questioning the utility of a revision process that results in the exclusion of legitimate citizens.

The Form 8 vs. Form 6 Dispute

A central point of contention is the ECI's requirement for an "enumeration form" during the SIR. The court noted that this form requires a voter to declare they still live at the address listed in the current roll. This creates a paradox for voters who have moved: they cannot truthfully sign a declaration of continued residence while simultaneously applying for an address change via Form 8.

The ECI argued that if a voter fails to provide the enumeration form, they must file Form 6 to be included. However, the court observed that treating an existing voter as a new applicant via Form 6 is problematic. This sentiment was echoed by former CEC SY Quraishi, who noted that Form 6 is intended specifically for new voters, not for those whose names were wrongly deleted.

ECINET Software Glitch and the '97 Voters' Case

Beyond the paperwork dispute, a technical failure in the ECINET (or ERONET) system led to the exclusion of 97 voters in Goa. Despite being found eligible by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) after hearings, these individuals could not be restored to the final roll because the software lacked a "rollback" or reversion facility Newslaundry.

On 30 September 2026, the High Court warned that administrative software cannot override statutory laws. The court expressed concern that if software limitations dictate the electoral roll, thousands of voters could be disenfranchised. The scale of the SIR's impact is evident in the numbers: the process began in November 2025 with 1,185,034 electors and concluded with 1,057,566, representing a net decrease of 10.76%.

Summary of Voter Application Forms in Dispute

Form Type	Intended Purpose	Controversy in Goa SIR
Form 8	Correction of entries / Address change	Court questioned why these were rejected in favor of enumeration forms.
Form 6	Fresh enrollment for new voters	Used by ECI to "restore" deleted voters, which critics call legally incorrect.
Enumeration Form	Verification of current residence	Court noted it compels voters to sign declarations that may conflict with facts.