Punjab Cop Shot In Amritsar; Akali Dal Slams Mann Govt As Law & Order Concerns Grow

The Election Commission has rejected allegations of systematic voter deletion, clarifying that no mass removal of genuine electors is taking place. Outlining safeguards regarding Form 7, the commission stated that filing an application does not cause automatic deletion, bulk applications are barred, and names cannot be removed without notice and hearing. It affirmed action against false pleas and noted that the Supreme Court upheld the Special Intensive Revision process. Meanwhile, political allegations emerged claiming the misuse of Form 7 to target voters.

A controversy has erupted across Karnataka over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with citizens alleging improper deletions without due verification. In Bengaluru's Ulsoor, a joint family of 32 voters residing for more than 35 years reported that eight members were removed from the rolls after being categorised as absent or permanently shifted, an assertion the residents strongly deny. In Vijayapura, living electors staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner's office after discovering they had been recorded under the dead voter category. Protesters and Congress leaders gheraoed local authorities and levelled allegations against MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, demanding action. Responding to the row, Yatnal maintained that citizens hold the right to raise concerns and seek proper verification. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar characterised the matter as a criminal conspiracy aimed at disenfranchising traditional Congress voters. Affected citizens are now demanding a transparent review and the restoration of disputed names.

A major political showdown has broken out in Bengaluru after an FIR was registered over alleged fake Form 7 applications. The complaint filed by a Congress leader alleges an attempt to delete genuine voters, placing 778 Form 7 applications across eight polling booths under police scanner. The complaint states that eligible voters were wrongly shown as absent or shifted, with signature discrepancies also flagged. A Bharatiya Janata Party booth-level agent has been named in the complaint regarding Ward 64 of Malleswaram constituency. Police are probing the authenticity of the signatures. The Congress claims a conspiracy to disenfranchise minority and Dalit voters, alleging involvement of the BJP and RSS. Meanwhile, the BJP has dismissed the allegations as diversionary, demanding proof and stating that identifying fake voters is not a crime while terming the FIRs political intimidation.

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has stressed that the right to vote forms the foundation of free and fair elections, stating that voter names cannot be deleted without notice, except in the case of deceased individuals. Reacting to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision row during an address at NALSAR University of Law, Justice Bhuyan noted that the Constitution of India does not create two classes of citizens and that detaching voting rights from citizenship is like taking the soul from the body. He observed that wholesale disenfranchisement rendering millions of citizens without voting rights is intrinsically arbitrary and violative of Articles 14 and 326. While the judge is not presiding over the Special Intensive Revision petitions before the apex court, his remarks come as Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar faces judicial scrutiny. Several petitions before the Supreme Court seek the suspension of the Chief Election Commissioner, the quashing of unilateral decisions, a judicial probe into the revision process, and a forensic audit of election commission software systems.