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Uproar in Maharashtra over SIR process; two petitions filed in Bombay High Court alleging arbitrary deletion of names from voter lists
Mumbai: The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Maharashtra has become embroiled in a legal dispute. Two separate petitions regarding this matter have been filed—one in the Bombay High Court and another at the Kolhapur Circuit Bench. These petitions level serious allegations, including the arbitrary deletion of names from voter lists, procedural irregularities, and internal discord within the Election Commission.
The first petition, filed at the Kolhapur Bench by three local residents, is being led by a team headed by lawyer Asim Sarode. It seeks the quashing of 14 administrative orders issued by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The petition states that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly raised objections in July regarding voter deletions, database access, software glitches, and changes to Form 6. It alleges that these actions violate Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.
The second petition was filed at the Principal Bench in Mumbai by Sagar Ramesh Gaikwad, the youth president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, along with another resident. They are being represented by lawyers Hemant Ghadigaonkar, Sandesh More, and Hitendra Gandhi.
Citing the Supreme Court's judgment on ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms), the petition claims that Booth Level Officers are conducting door-to-door visits to demand identity documents, a practice that contravenes Election Commission rules. Furthermore, voters not found at home are being classified as absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicate without any hearing or written order. The petitioners have stated that they do not wish to halt the elections but simply want the law to be properly followed. Both petitions seek the reinstatement of excluded voters, a ban on the use of SIR in Maharashtra, and the formation of an independent committee—headed by a retired High Court judge—to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, an urgent hearing on the petition is likely to take place next week.
Mumbai: The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Maharashtra has become embroiled in a legal dispute. Two separate petitions regarding this matter have been filed—one in the Bombay High Court and another at the Kolhapur Circuit Bench. These petitions level serious allegations, including the arbitrary deletion of names from voter lists, procedural irregularities, and internal discord within the Election Commission.
The first petition, filed at the Kolhapur Bench by three local residents, is being led by a team headed by lawyer Asim Sarode. It seeks the quashing of 14 administrative orders issued by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The petition states that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly raised objections in July regarding voter deletions, database access, software glitches, and changes to Form 6. It alleges that these actions violate Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.
The second petition was filed at the Principal Bench in Mumbai by Sagar Ramesh Gaikwad, the youth president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, along with another resident. They are being represented by lawyers Hemant Ghadigaonkar, Sandesh More, and Hitendra Gandhi.
Citing the Supreme Court's judgment on ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms), the petition claims that Booth Level Officers are conducting door-to-door visits to demand identity documents, a practice that contravenes Election Commission rules. Furthermore, voters not found at home are being classified as absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicate without any hearing or written order. The petitioners have stated that they do not wish to halt the elections but simply want the law to be properly followed. Both petitions seek the reinstatement of excluded voters, a ban on the use of SIR in Maharashtra, and the formation of an independent committee—headed by a retired High Court judge—to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, an urgent hearing on the petition is likely to take place next week.
The first petition, filed at the Kolhapur Bench by three local residents, is being led by a team headed by lawyer Asim Sarode. It seeks the quashing of 14 administrative orders issued by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The petition states that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly raised objections in July regarding voter deletions, database access, software glitches, and changes to Form 6. It alleges that these actions violate Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.
The second petition was filed at the Principal Bench in Mumbai by Sagar Ramesh Gaikwad, the youth president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, along with another resident. They are being represented by lawyers Hemant Ghadigaonkar, Sandesh More, and Hitendra Gandhi.
Citing the Supreme Court's judgment on ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms), the petition claims that Booth Level Officers are conducting door-to-door visits to demand identity documents, a practice that contravenes Election Commission rules. Furthermore, voters not found at home are being classified as absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicate without any hearing or written order. The petitioners have stated that they do not wish to halt the elections but simply want the law to be properly followed. Both petitions seek the reinstatement of excluded voters, a ban on the use of SIR in Maharashtra, and the formation of an independent committee—headed by a retired High Court judge—to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, an urgent hearing on the petition is likely to take place next week.
