BLAs not liable for every false information in SIR forms: HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday held that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can be held liable for false information only to the extent of particulars contained in electors’ enumeration and declaration forms that are within their ability to verify, and not for every detail furnished therein

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday held that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can be held liable for false information only to the extent of particulars contained in electors’ enumeration and declaration forms that are within their ability to verify, and not for every detail furnished therein.

The court delivered the verdict in a petition filed by Devender Yadav, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress committee, challenging Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines on SIR. (HT Archive)

A bench of justice Amit Bansal said that once the responsibility of verification and undertaking has been entrusted to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), there exists no justification for requiring BLAs to furnish personal undertakings certifying the correctness of the particulars in the enumeration form.

“Once the responsibility of verification and undertaking has been entrusted to the BLOs, there exists no justification for requiring BLAs to furnish personal undertakings certifying the correctness of the particulars in the enumeration form. Therefore, in the opinion of this court, the BLA can only be made liable in terms of Section 31 of the RP Act for information that can be verified by the BLA, i.e. that the photograph on the enumeration form matches the identity of the elector whose form it is,” the court said in its 14-page order.

The court delivered the verdict in a petition filed by Devender Yadav, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress committee, challenging Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines on SIR.

The guidelines required BLAs to submit a personal undertaking verifying the particulars contained in enumeration and declaration forms by the elector according to the last SIR, and BLAs would be liable under section 31 of the RP Act for making false information.

Senior advocate Sakal Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the ECI’s June 24, 2025 guidelines already require BLOs to distribute and collect enumeration forms, conduct house-to-house verification, and verify the details and supporting documents submitted by electors during the SIR. He pointed out that the May 14, 2026 additional/modified guidelines further require BLOs to give a personal undertaking confirming such verification. There was no justification for requiring BLAs to furnish a similar undertaking, he submitted.

The ECI’s lawyer, Dama Sheshadri Naidu, however, defended the requirement as an accountability measure to ensure that bulk applications submitted by political parties are backed by reasonable due diligence and personal verification. Its counsel submitted that while appointing a BLA is voluntary for a political party, once appointed and entrusted with responsibilities, the BLA must discharge them with due responsibility.