New Delhi, 30 October (H.S.): The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to investigate allegations of irregularities involving the bulk submission of Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Uttar Pradesh and take appropriate corrective measures.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, issued the directions while hearing petitions filed by Congress MP Tanuj Punia and Samajwadi Party leader Arvind Kumar Singh.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners informed the court that 32 Form 7 applications had allegedly been submitted in bulk in one constituency of Uttar Pradesh, targeting voters belonging to a particular community. Of these applications, two reportedly bore the signatures of Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

Senior Advocate D.S. Naidu, appearing for the Election Commission, acknowledged that a large number of Form 7 applications had been received. However, he clarified that the applications were found to be false following verification by the Commission's officials and that no genuine voter's name had been deleted from the electoral rolls on their basis.

The petitioners' counsel, however, sought further scrutiny of the alleged irregularities and urged the court to ensure that the matter was examined comprehensively.

Taking note of the submissions, the Supreme Court directed the petitioners to prepare and submit a detailed written note to the Election Commission's senior counsel, listing all pending complaints and alleged irregularities that remained unresolved.

The bench instructed the ECI to examine the factual details furnished by the petitioners, undertake a thorough assessment, make necessary corrections wherever required and subsequently submit a compliance report before the court.

The court also reiterated that the process of electoral roll correction is a continuing exercise. It observed that any eligible voter whose name may have been inadvertently left out of the electoral roll can approach the Election Commission and submit an appropriate application for inclusion.

Form 7 is used to raise an objection to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or seek the deletion of an existing entry on prescribed grounds. The court's intervention comes amid concerns over the alleged misuse of this provision during the ongoing electoral roll revision exercise in Uttar Pradesh.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar