Delhi HC: Booth-level agents not liable for verifying every detail in enumeration forms

The Delhi High Court on Thursday (September 3, 2026) ruled that booth-level agents (BLAs) of political parties cannot be held responsible for verifying every detail in enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The Special Intensive Revision is a periodical exercise conducted by the Election Commission to update electoral rolls. During this exercise, enumeration forms are collected across constituencies, and claims and objections are invited for necessary corrections.

Justice Amit Bansal observed that BLAs can be held accountable only for information that they can independently verify, such as whether the photograph on an enumeration form corresponds with the identity of the elector. The court said that for a BLA, responsibility during form collection is limited to matching the photograph with the elector and not validating the entire information submitted.

“Insofar as the collection of the enumeration form is concerned, the BLA would be responsible to the extent that the photograph matches the identity of the elector as contained in the form. However, the BLA cannot be made liable for all the information which is contained in the enumeration form as there is no way a BLA could be in a position to verify the same,” the court said. “The said information would be exclusively within the knowledge of the concerned elector,” it added.

The court also took note of an affidavit filed by the Election Commission stating that BLAs do not participate in statutory verification or in any other statutory process related to inclusion or exclusion in electoral rolls. The Commission said verification of details is carried out by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who conduct house-to-house visits.

The ruling came on a petition filed by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Devender Yadav and the chairman of the party’s booth management committee. The petition challenged the Election Commission’s requirement that BLAs provide a personal undertaking certifying that they had themselves verified all details in enumeration forms.

According to the petitioners, neither the Representation of the People Act, 1950 nor the Registration of Electors Rules empowers the Election Commission to seek such an undertaking from political party representatives. The petition said the requirement is contrary to Section 23 of the Act, which provides that inclusion of a name in the electoral roll shall be made by the Electoral Registration Officer after proper verification of facts in such manner as prescribed.

The petitioners argued that the statutory verification process is to be carried out by designated election officials and cannot be transferred to private individuals or political party representatives. They said imposing on BLAs a duty to certify facts beyond their reach contradicts the legal framework governing electoral rolls.

Booth-level agents are representatives of political parties stationed at polling booths during electoral roll revision and elections. Their role is to observe proceedings and assist in the collection and submission of forms. In contrast, BLOs are government functionaries entrusted with verification of electoral data. The High Court’s ruling distinguishes these roles and clarifies that BLAs cannot be expected to perform the duties of official verifiers.

The judgement reinforces that the responsibility for verifying electoral information lies with the statutory machinery. Party representatives, the court noted, cannot be expected to attest to matters that are not within their own knowledge.