ECI fact-checks claims on Form 6 following SC observation

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 01:02:00 +0000

A view of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. Photo used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Amid the political slugfest over Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant’s remarks on Form 6 used for registration of voters, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Press Information Bureau came out with a slew of fact-checks.

Following the reports of dissent within the commission over changes made in Form 6, the EC had in a press release on September 26, claimed that the declaration form attached with Form 6 was upheld by the apex court.

As the CJI on Monday made it clear, “any modification to Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let’s be clear,” Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was quick to target the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) saying, “It is now established beyond doubt that Gyanesh Kumar changed Form 6 illegally and unilaterally. This is just one more proof of him abusing his position to help the BJP. He and everyone else involved in this criminal assault on our democracy will be held accountable.”

Protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar highlights

The EC was, however, quick to fact-check Mr. Gandhi in a post on X. The Commission said the Leader of Opposition’s post was misleading, asserting that the June 24, 2025 order for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission and was upheld by the Supreme Court in its May 27, 2026 judgment. Further, the September 26, 2026 press note, categorically stated that the declaration attached to Form 6 for the SIR had been upheld by the Supreme Court.

The press note of September 26 itself came into focus when Ashutosh Ranka of the Cockroach Janta Party in a post on X claimed that it was no more available on the EC website.

The PIB fact-checked him saying: “The press release dated 26th September 2026 is available in the public domain and has not been taken down by the Election Commission of India.”

Published – October 05, 2026 09:57 pm IST

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Centre Notifies PIB As Official Fact Checker For Online Content

admin — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:20:11 +0000

The fact check unit under PIB was established in November 2019. (Representational)

New Delhi:

The Centre on Wednesday notified the fact check unit under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to monitor online content pertaining to the government for accuracy.

The fact check unit has been notified under IT Rules of 2021 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

“The central government hereby notifies the Fact Check Unit under the Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as the fact check unit of the Central Government for the purposes of the said sub-clause, in respect of any business of the Central Government,” the notification said.

The Fact Check Unit will be the nodal agency to tackle or alert about all fake news or misinformation related to the central government.

The notification came days after the Bombay High Court declined to restrain the Centre from notifying the unit. The petition was filed by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and the Editors Guild of India.

The petitioners have moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court verdict and the matter is expected to come up for hearing on Thursday.

In April last year, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) issued the 2023 Rules, which further amended the Information Technology Rules, 2021.

Under the new rules, if the fact check unit comes across or is informed about any posts that are “fake”, “false” or contain “misleading” facts pertaining to the business of the government, it would flag it to the social media intermediaries.

The online intermediaries would then have to take down such content if they wanted to retain their “safe harbour” (legal immunity against third-party content).

The fact check unit under PIB was established in November 2019 with a stated objective of acting as a deterrent to creators and disseminators of fake news and misinformation.

It also provides people with an easy avenue to report suspicious and questionable information pertaining to the Government of India.

The unit is mandated to counter misinformation on government policies, initiatives and schemes either suo motu or under a reference via complaints.

The unit actively monitors, detects, and counters disinformation campaigns, ensuring that false information about the government is promptly exposed and corrected.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Press Information Bureau – Artifex.News

ECI fact-checks claims on Form 6 following SC observation

Centre Notifies PIB As Official Fact Checker For Online Content