Bombay High Court Receives Two Petitions Challenging Election Commission's Voter Roll Revision in Maharashtra

Two writ petitions were lodged before the Bombay High Court contesting the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision exercise in Maharashtra, following a media report indicating that a pair of Election Commissioners had expressed reservations about a number of decisions made by the poll body. Two separate petitions — one lodged with the Bombay High Court and another with its Kolhapur circuit bench — are calling for a series of orders relating to the updating of voter lists, among them the release of 14 rulings connected to the Summary Revision of Rolls process, the reinstatement of individuals whose names were removed, and greater openness regarding the tools and methods employed by the Election Commission. Among the petitions filed is a request for the formation of an independent judicial panel to investigate reported data erasures and software-imposed constraints during the current SIR proceedings. The filings followed a broadcast report by a news outlet alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally registered disagreements on numerous occasions regarding decisions made by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to the document, concerns raised encompassed voter enrolment procedures, the removal and reinstatement of names from rolls, and access to the electoral register database. A petition lodged before the Kolhapur bench by four Maharashtra residents and registered voters, represented by advocate Asim Sarode, draws on the report to argue that decisions regarding electoral rolls were carried out in ways that undermined constitutional principles. Those filing the petition have called for the annulment of 14 administrative directives and their amendments, the release of dissenting opinions recorded by Election Commissioners, and the reinstatement of voters whose registrations were removed during the SIR process. A request has also been filed seeking suspension of upcoming Assembly elections pending the preparation and approval of revised voter rolls that meet legal requirements. The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on 28 September. The petition additionally claims that the Election Commission used its authority in ways that conflicted with prior Supreme Court rulings and worked against both democratic principles and the broader public interest. Two residents of Mumbai, represented by advocate Hitendra Gandhi, have lodged a separate petition contesting elements of the SIR procedure in Maharashtra, including the gathering of documents during the enumeration phase and the removal of voters on the basis of their standing in the electoral register. Those filing the petition have requested that the Election Commission disclose the rationale and legal grounds for carrying out the Special Intensive Revision in Maharashtra, along with the procedures employed to flag voters under the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate categories and the technical specifications of the ECINET system.

Bombay High Court Receives Two Petitions Challenging Election Commission's Voter Roll Revision in Maharashtra

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Bombay High Court Receives Two Petitions Challenging Election Commission's Voter Roll Revision in Maharashtra

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