The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer has announced legal action against anyone found filing bulk Form 7 applications to remove voters during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, following reports of a majority of such applications targeting Muslims.
Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbu Kumar has stated that he will take action against anyone found to be filing bulk Form 7 applications to remove voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This decision was made in response to protests led by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Congress legislators outside the election officer’s office.
The controversy stems from a report by The Hindu, which found that out of 4,000 applications filed to delete voters from Karnataka’s electoral rolls, a majority targeted Muslims. This pattern was reported in several districts, including Vijayapura and Bhalki.
In a circular sent to district election officers and electoral registration officers in the state, Kumar said his office had received reports of bulk Form 7 applications being filed. The reports alleged that some applications were not genuine, said Kumar, directing officials to investigate the claims.
Shivakumar withdrew the protest after the announcement. The chief minister stated that electoral officials had been told to approve Form-7 applications only for deaths or duplicate entries. Death claims must include a death certificate, while duplicate cases must include the second voter ID number in the remarks, the chief minister quoted Kumar as directing electoral officials.
In two cases, The Hindu found already filled and printed Form 7s with names of voters whose deletion was being sought. Only the objectors’ names were handwritten. In Vijayapura district’s Babaleshwar Assembly constituency, 1,373 Form 7 applications were received on September 22. Of these, 99.2%, or 1,363, were filed by just 10 persons, largely against Muslim voters in polling stations where the objectors themselves were not registered.
Similar patterns were reported in Bhalki in Bidar district, where more than 1,700 deletions were sought by 30 persons on September 23. Several of those who filed multiple objections on that day had also filed applications the previous day.
Source:
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