{
  "id": 226458,
  "title": "Form-7 misuse: Supreme Court to consider Congress MP’s plea alleging targeted deletions in U.P.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/form-7-misuse-supreme-court-to-consider-congress-mps-plea-alleging",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-06T16:07:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttar-pradesh/form-7-misuse-supreme-court-to-consider-congress-mps-plea-alleging-targeted-deletions-in-up/article71314187.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "summary": "The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea by Congress MP Tanuj Punia, which alleges 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, meant to enable limited and legitimate objections to the inclusion of names in the electoral roll or deletion on narrowly defined grounds, such as death or permanent relocation. The application, filed by senior advocates Salman Khusheed and Shariq Ahmed on behalf of Mr. Punia, alleges that the Form-7 process has been used for targeted deletion attempts, particularly against eligible electors belonging to minority and marginalized sections of society. The court has tentatively scheduled the case to be heard towards the end of August, as the issue needs to be addressed before the State Assembly election, which may commence as early as December 2026 or early January 2027.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "NPP presents petition to Supreme Court, Jubilee House over alleged arbitrary arrests, selective justice",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/npp-presents-petition-to-supreme-court-jubilee-house-over-alleged",
        "published": "2026-08-06T14:50:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "Supreme Court hopeful of settlement in Sunjay Kapur case: 'Parties cooperating'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/supreme-court-hopeful-of-settlement-in-sunjay-kapur-case-parties",
        "published": "2026-08-07T02:55:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}