Form-7 misuse: Supreme Court to consider Congress MP’s plea alleging targeted deletions in U.P.

The Supreme Court has decided to review a petition filed by Congress MP Tanuj Punia, alleging widespread misuse and fraud in the use of Form 7 during the Uttar Pradesh Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Form 7 is a statutory mechanism under the Registration of Electors Rules of 1960, which allows limited and genuine objections to the inclusion of names on the electoral roll, or deletion based on specified grounds such as death or permanent relocation.

During a hearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on August 5, senior lawyers Salman Khusheed and Shariq Ahmed, representing Punia, presented evidence suggesting that Form 7 had been abused to facilitate large-scale fraudulent and targeted deletions, particularly against minority and marginalized groups.

The petition claims that the Form 7 process has been exploited to carry out systematic, bulk deletions, often involving incomplete or false information, forged signatures, and in some cases, individuals who later denied filing any objections. The lawyers also highlighted instances where Booth Level Officers allegedly received pre-filled Form 7 applications aimed at deleting multiple electors, including those already verified during the SIR process.

These actions have raised concerns about the integrity of the objection mechanism and emphasized the need for immediate action, given that the State Assembly election for Uttar Pradesh could commence as early as December 2026 or early January 2027.