Delhi HC 'BLAs Not Liable to Verify All Details in Electoral Forms'

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ruled that booth level agents of political parties are not liable for verifying all details in enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision 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 a 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.

According to the petitioner, neither the Representation of the People Act nor the Registration of Electors Rules contain any provision empowering the Election Commission to ask the representatives of political parties to give such an undertaking.

"The prescribed manner of verification under the Rules is to be conducted by statutory officers, not by private individuals or party representatives. The imposition of an undertaking of personal verification upon BLAs amounts to an unlawful delegation of a statutory function to private actors," it added.