'How Does Your System Override Law?': HC Asks ECI over 7 Voter Deletions in Goa
The court said election officials cannot rely on software or a draft roll to delete names, warning that lakhs could be removed without proper review.
- On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court at Goa ruled that draft electoral rolls cannot serve as the basis for deleting voters, asserting that administrative software systems cannot supersede statutory laws.
- Paresh Salgaoncar and his family attempted to update their address within the Santa Cruz Assembly constituency using Form 8, but the ERONET software rejected their applications because their Electors Photo Identity Cards were not found.
- The Court told the Election Commission of India that the "software system did not allow" processing of Form 8, questioning the legal authority for deleting names without a hearing.
- Observing that "lakhs will go off the rolls," the Division Bench demanded the Commission explain its process, requiring officials to "apply its mind and see whether this person has really moved."
- The Election Commission recently extended its Special Intensive Revision schedule for two states, though the Bombay High Court's intervention highlights ongoing concerns regarding system reliability for existing voters.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Software cannot override law in voter deletion: HC
The Bombay High Court's Goa bench has ruled that draft electoral rolls cannot be the sole basis for deleting names from voter lists, asserting that administrative software cannot supersede statutory laws. The court questioned the Election Commission of India's authority to delete voters without a hearing, highlighting concerns over the ERONET system's limitations and its potential to disenfranchise citizens.
‘Very perturbed’, draft electoral roll cannot be basis for deleting names without hearing: Bombay HC at Goa
The Goa Bench of the HC also questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the provisions empowering it to delete names without a hearing, saying it was “very perturbed by this”
‘What is the glitch?’: HC asks Election Commission after six names removed from Goa electoral rolls
The petitioners submitted that the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer informed them that their EPICs had been deleted from the rolls and consequently, their Form 8 applications could not be processed.
Bombay HC slams EC for software as SIR deletes 6 of Santa Cruz family
The Bombay high court held a hearing regarding the deletion of a family's names from electoral rolls. The family had submitted Form 8 to notify the Election Commission of India about their address change. However, their names were removed during the Special Revision of Electoral Rolls. The court questioned the ECI's software limitations and the refusal to accept Form 8.
'Mistake on Your Part': Bombay HC Slams ECI Over SIR Deletion of Six Who Had Filed Form 8
The Goa family said it had filed form 8 after moving to a new address within the same constituency well in advance, however, the EC told the court that its software did not have the ability to process the applications during the enumeration phase.
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