Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to explain why a voter’s name was removed from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process without issuing any prior notice. A division bench comprising Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda raised the question while hearing a writ petition filed by activist MQ Masood and another petitioner, who challenged the manner in which the voter revision exercise is being carried out in the state. The court directed the ECI to clarify the reasons behind the deletion and posted the matter for further hearing on October 13.
According to the petition, one petitioner discovered that his name had been deleted from the electoral roll without receiving any notice or explanation, while the second petitioner was served a notice, attended a hearing and submitted the required documents, but has not been informed about the outcome of his case. The ECI’s counsel sought time to obtain instructions and stated that the second petitioner’s notice was linked to a mismatch in his father’s name, while the first petitioner could apply for inclusion through Form 6 due to a discrepancy in his own name. However, the High Court observed that the first petitioner still had not been informed why his name was removed, emphasizing the need for transparency in the process.
The petition also alleges that the ECI is relying on an automated data-matching system, referred to as ECINet or ERONET, to identify discrepancies and initiate proceedings against voters without adequate human verification. Senior advocate L. Ravichander argued that the process lacks transparency, with citizens not being informed about the reasons behind notices or the decisions taken after hearings. During the proceedings, Justice P. Sam Koshy remarked that he had also received a similar notice regarding his electoral record. The court observed that any voter facing adverse action after providing an explanation has the right to seek legal remedy, while directing the ECI to submit its response when the matter comes up for hearing on October 13.
