The Election Commission of India ( ECI ) has declined to disclose the name and version of the software it used to identify errors and anomalies in voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying the information relates to “commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property” and is exempt under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In response to Ayyub’s first question, the ECI invoked Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act, which exempts information involving commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm a third party’s competitive position. On the question about who reviews flagged anomalies, the poll body cited Section 8(1)(g), which exempts information whose disclosure could endanger the life or physical safety of any person or reveal the source of information given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes. It added that under Sections 13B(1) and 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the ERO of the concerned assembly constituency is the statutory authority responsible for preparing and revising the electoral roll.
“The ERO of the concerned constituency is the statutory authority responsible for the preparation and revision of electoral roll of that constituency,” the poll panel said.
It also alleged that election officials found their access to the ECI software curtailed by the central IT team. ECI has been under pressure over SIR – which has already deleted 130 million names from India’s electoral rolls – and other allegations. These concerns follow an investigation by The Indian Express that said election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded written dissents and objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026 and even wrote to the cabinet secretary.
ECI, for its part, said differing views and observations were a normal part of deliberation and that all its digital platforms operated under strict data security protocols.
