SIR row: Karnataka CEO directs legal action on mass voter deletion attempts

In a recent development, the Congress party in Karnataka secured a late-night triumph as the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) vowed to pursue legal action against those who conducted mass deletions of eligible voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The decision came after Congress legislators, led by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, staged a protest at the CEO's office, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of neglecting complaints of fraudulent Form-7 submissions in numerous constituencies.

Form 7, utilized for objections regarding the inclusion or deletion of names in the existing voter roll, is the subject of the controversy. Following the Congress' complaint, the CEO instructed all electoral officers to refrain from approving any Form-7s, except those pertaining to death and double entries. For death cases, a death certificate is required, while for double entries, details of the second EPIC number must be mentioned in the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) remarks, as per Vice Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar's endorsement.

Despite the CEO's assurance, Shivakumar stated that the protesters threatened to remain at the CEO's office until action was taken by the ECI against the fraudulent submissions in Form-6, Form-6A, and Form-7. The CEO has directed EROs to take legal action under the Representation of the People Act against any applicant who knowingly provides false statements and declarations. The matter will be further investigated under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electoral Rules, Shivakumar informed reporters.

As the ECI's inquiry unfolds, the police will concurrently investigate the FIRs filed in connection with the fraudulent bulk submissions of Form-7s, according to Shivakumar. A memorandum submitted by Shivakumar to Anbukumar prior to the protest detailed three FIRs filed on September 30 and October 1. The Congress party's campaign against SIR intensified on Thursday, with Shivakumar holding a press conference alleging that "lakhs" of Form-7s were filed to delete eligible voters, in addition to the 1.07 crore voters deleted during the enumeration phase.

Notices for verification have been issued to 43 lakh voters in the draft roll. The Karnataka SIR process commenced on June 30, marking its 24th year since the last SIR held in 2002.