Story perspectives

Bombay High Court Slams EC Voter Deletions Over Software

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 4:19 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Bombay Court Rebukes EC

Bombay High Court rebuked Election Commission of India for deleting six Goa voters after rejecting their Form 8 applications.
Judges questioned ERONET software that automatically rejects Form 8 without a pre-filled enumeration form.
Judges demanded the commission show statutory authority to delete voters without a hearing under the Representation of the People Act.
Judges warned the software flaw could disenfranchise thousands of relocated voters across India.

Summary

Commissioners Object SIR

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi lodged 14 objections to the SIR.
NCP (SP) workers protested in Mumbai demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Businessmen Sagar Ramesh Gawai and Rafiquellahi Khan requested an independent audit of Maharashtra’s SIR.
Petitioners seek to suspend the SIR and delay Maharashtra assembly elections until rolls are compliant.
The filing alleges an unauthorized Form 6 amendment forcing applicants to prove ancestral voter registration.

History

Historical Context

On 30 December 1992 India enacted the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, creating Form 6 and Form 8 and requiring the Election Commission to maintain a single electoral roll. The commission has issued fourteen revisions by 2020. Bombay High Court judges now contest ERONET’s automatic Form 8 deletions, invoking the Act’s hearing requirement, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar may face an independent audit.

1 of 3

Bombay Court Rebukes EC

Bombay High Court rebuked Election Commission of India for deleting six Goa voters after rejecting their Form 8 applications.
Judges questioned ERONET software that automatically rejects Form 8 without a pre-filled enumeration form.
Judges demanded the commission show statutory authority to delete voters without a hearing under the Representation of the People Act.
Judges warned the software flaw could disenfranchise thousands of relocated voters across India.

1 / 3