Supreme Court Asks EC To Probe Bulk Form 7 Applications In UP Amid Yogi Adityanath's Claim Of Missing Hindu Voters
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The Supreme Court's direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to investigate allegations of bulk submission of Form 7 applications in Uttar Pradesh comes amid Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's claims that 1.27 crore Hindu voters are missing from the state's electoral rolls.
Form 7 is used to request the deletion of a voter's name from the electoral roll. The allegations raised concerns over the possible misuse of the form to target voters during the revision exercise.
Supreme Court Directs EC To Examine Allegations
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the petitioners to submit a note detailing the unresolved irregularities to the Election Commission.
The bench directed the poll panel to examine the allegations, take necessary corrective steps and submit a compliance report to the court.
"The irregularities which have been brought to the notice of the court shall be submitted to senior counsel appearing for the Election Commission of India by way of a note," the bench said.
It added that the commission should examine the factual aspects after receiving the note and report the action taken.
The petitioners' counsel told the court that the Form 7 issue related to Uttar Pradesh.
EC Admits Bulk Applications Were Submitted
Senior advocate D S Naidu, appearing for the Election Commission, acknowledged that bulk Form 7 applications had been submitted during the exercise.
However, he told the court that election officials had verified the applications and found them to be false. The commission had not acted on those submissions, he said.
"We found that bulk Form 7 applications had been submitted. Our officers checked and cross-checked them. They were false, and we have not acted upon them," Naidu told the bench.
The counsel for one of the petitioners alleged that 32 Form 7 applications had been submitted in a single constituency to target members of a particular community.
Taking note of the allegation, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission to examine the matter and take appropriate steps.
Yogi Adityanath Claims 1.27 Crore Hindu Voters Missing
Addressing the BJP state executive committee meeting on Friday, Adityanath claimed that 1.27 crore Hindu voters were missing from Uttar Pradesh's electoral rolls.
He said the state should have more than 16 crore voters, against its current electorate of around 13 crore. He also cited 66 lakh people missing from Assembly voter lists, 55 lakh welfare scheme beneficiaries and 4.5 lakh young people aged 18-19.
Adityanath urged BJP workers to coordinate with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to ensure eligible voters were included in the electoral rolls.
