Booth Level Agents liable only for verifiable information in SIR: Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has ruled that booth level agents (BLAs) are only legally liable for verifying information they can personally confirm, such as an elector's photograph. The court struck down a mandate requiring BLAs to provide a personal undertaking certifying all details in electoral enumeration forms, citing that such verification is a statutory duty of the Electoral Registration Officer.
Why it matters
This ruling prevents the Election Commission from delegating statutory verification duties to private political party representatives, protecting BLAs from potential criminal liability for errors in electoral rolls.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday (September 3, 2026) ruled that booth level agents of political parties are not liable for verifying all details in enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Justice Amit Bansal said booth level agents (BLA) are liable only for verifiable information like the elector's photograph.
"In the opinion of this court, BLA can only be made liable in terms of section 31 of the Representation of People Act for information that can be verified by the BLA, i.e., the photograph on the enumeration form matches with the identity of the elector," the judge said.
Section 31 states that making false declarations with respect to the preparation, revision or correction of an electoral roll is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
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