New Delhi, October 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to examine allegations of irregularities in the submission of Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana asked the petitioners to provide details of cases in which alleged irregularities had not been addressed. It directed the poll panel to examine the complaints, take necessary corrective measures and submit an action-taken report.
During the hearing, the petitioners alleged that a large number of Form 7 applications had been submitted in Uttar Pradesh with the intention of removing voters belonging to a particular community from the electoral rolls. Citing action taken in similar cases in Telangana and Karnataka, they argued that directions had been issued for registering FIRs in those states, while the lack of effective action in Uttar Pradesh had emboldened those responsible for submitting such applications.
Appearing for the ECI, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu submitted that although a large number of Form 7 applications had been received, scrutiny by the authorities had revealed irregularities in the submissions. He maintained that no voter’s name had been deleted on the basis of these forms.
Naidu further stated that the complaints had been examined by the concerned officials through checks and cross-verification, following which some allegations were found to be false.
The senior counsel added that wherever allegations were supported by material evidence, the concerned parties could file formal complaints for the ECI to examine and take appropriate action.
After hearing the submissions, the Supreme Court observed that the poll panel should scrutinise the relevant material and take appropriate action wherever irregularities were established.
The proceedings come amid allegations surrounding the SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer had rejected claims that 85,854 Form 7 applications were automatically generated by the ECI’s ERONET software without specifying reasons for deleting voters’ names.
The CEO’s office maintained that notices, hearings, scrutiny and recorded orders preceded any deletion action, dismissing the allegations as misleading.
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