Supreme Court directs Election Commission to probe Form 7 irregularities in UP

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India to examine claims of irregularities related to mass submissions of Form 7 applications during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, instructed petitioners to submit detailed documentation of unresolved irregularities to the poll body. Form 7 is the official application used to request deletion of a voter's name from the draft electoral roll.

The bench directed that "irregularities which have been brought to the notice of the court shall be submitted to senior counsel appearing for the Election Commission of India by way of a note." Upon receipt of the documentation, the Election Commission has been asked to examine the factual basis of the allegations and undertake necessary corrective action.

The court further directed the Election Commission to file a compliance report detailing the steps taken to address the irregularities. The specific concerns flagged by petitioners relate to the electoral roll revision process currently underway in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

The directive comes as the Election Commission continues its special intensive revision exercise to ensure the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls across the state.