New Delhi, 23 February (HS): The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Lucknow district election officer to examine and address the grievances of 91 residents of Akbar Nagar who claimed they were excluded from the Uttar Pradesh electoral rolls following the demolition of their homes in September 2023.

The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The petitioners, represented by senior advocate M R Shamshad, sought permission to submit enumeration forms to booth-level officers to safeguard their right to vote despite lacking a permanent address after the demolition drive.

At the outset, the bench observed that disputed questions of fact regarding residence could not ordinarily be examined in a writ petition. However, taking note of the plea filed by Sana Parveen and 90 others, the court asked the district election officer to verify the claims and take appropriate remedial steps.

The court noted that the petitioners contended they were long-term residents of Akbar Nagar and that their names had appeared in electoral rolls since 2002, with younger members included in later revisions. They submitted that their names were removed during the 2025 revision process on the ground that they did not have identifiable addresses after the demolition of alleged unauthorised constructions.

The bench observed that factual verification was required and indicated that local authorities were best placed to examine the issue. It directed the district election officer to ascertain whether the petitioners had previously been included in voter lists and to determine their current status.

The court also granted liberty to the petitioners to approach the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court if they did not receive relief from the district election officer.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar