Amid opposition protests regarding SIR, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken strict action regarding irregularities in the voter list of Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit assembly constituency. The Commission ordered the suspension of two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and instructed UP's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to file an FIR against them.

What Did the Commission Say?

In a letter written to UP CEO Navdeep Rinwa, the Commission stated that upon investigation of his report, Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary were found guilty.

Therefore, the decision to suspend both officers was made.

An FIR should be registered and the charge sheet submitted to the Commission for further investigation.

The Commission instructed that Section 198 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita should not be applied in the FIR, as both were not considered government employees, and this section pertains to the non-compliance of government law.

What Are the Allegations?

The Computer Assistant to the ERO is accused of registering 13,779 Form-8 applications for 'correction' between May 31 and August 29, even though there were neither physical forms nor supporting documents available in the office.

When the matter reached the Commission, a report was sought from the CEO, in which he acknowledged the irregularities and mentioned legal action against both EROs.

Orders for Re-examination Across the Entire State

The concerned court will have to take strict action in both cases.

The investigation report of the Pilibhit voter list must be sent to the Commission within one week.

All DEOs and EROs in the state must conduct a fresh, in-depth verification of the voter lists in their respective areas.

Data regarding the addition, deletion, or modification of names through Forms 6, 7, or 8 will be re-verified.

Following allegations of misuse, the CEO has deactivated the passwords of computer operators in ERO offices across the state.