Delhi High Court limits BLA liability for false info in SIR forms

The Delhi High Court ruled that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can only be held liable for false information in electors' forms that they are able to verify, not for every detail provided. Justice Amit Bansal stated that since Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are responsible for verification and undertaking, requiring BLAs to certify the correctness of all particulars is unjustified. BLAs can only be liable under Section 31 of the RP Act for verifiable information, such as matching photographs to electors. The verdict came in a petition by Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav challenging Election Commission guidelines. The court noted the ECI's June 2025 and May 2026 guidelines already require BLOs to verify details, while the ECI defended the BLA requirement as an accountability measure for bulk applications.