Bulk Voter Deletions in Telangana's SIR: Auto-Generated Form 7s and the Rules for Removing a Voter
During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana, lakhs of voters marked as ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate) were deleted by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), the officials in charge of each constituency's voter list.
At the end of the enumeration phase (the house-to-house form collection stage), 73,39,235 electors in Telangana were placed in ASDD categories. Of these, 45,18,963 were listed as "permanently shifted" and 11,25,546 as absent or untraceable.
A recent report says the Form 7s (the form used to object to a name and ask for its deletion) for these voters were auto-generated by the ERONET software, with the ERO's own name entered as the objector and signed digitally.
Voters who had not collected or returned their enumeration forms were placed in the absent or shifted lists, often without a home visit. The report says many Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in cities worked from one central place instead of going door to door.
The ECI's own guidelines require Form 7 objections to be shown in Form 10 for at least seven clear days before a decision, so that voters can object. The report says this list was not displayed in that format and voters could not object before deletion.
The Chief Electoral Officer's office said EROs have legal power to delete names on their own (suo motu) during an intensive revision. It said the ASDD list is displayed online and at ERO offices, and deleted voters can apply afresh through Form 6.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls
An electoral roll is the official list of voters for a constituency. Only people whose names are on this list can vote. A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a very detailed check of this list, in which it is rebuilt almost from scratch. Officials visit homes, collect fresh forms from every voter and check documents, instead of only adding or removing a few names as in a normal yearly update.
Telangana's SIR placed over 73 lakh electors in ASDD categories. Because the SIR rebuilds the roll from fresh forms, anyone who did not return a form was marked absent or shifted. The concern raised is that these voters were then deleted through auto-generated Form 7s, without the notice period that the normal deletion process requires.
Representation of the People Act, 1950: The Law Behind Voter Lists and Seats
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA 1950) is the law that decides who can be a voter and how voter lists are prepared, corrected and revised. The detailed step-by-step procedure is laid down in the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, made under this Act. Together, they tell the ERO exactly how a name can be added, changed or removed.
The Chief Electoral Officer's office relied on the ERO's power to delete names of dead and shifted persons. The report points out that the same Rules require a published list, a notice and a chance to object before such deletions, and argues these steps were skipped for the ASDD voters.
Principles of Natural Justice: Audi Alteram Partem and the Rule Against Bias
Natural justice is a set of basic fairness rules that every authority must follow before taking a decision that harms a person. The two main rules are audi alteram partem ("hear the other side": no one should be punished or lose a right without notice and a chance to explain) and nemo judex in causa sua ("no one should be a judge in their own cause": the decision-maker must not be biased). Indian courts apply these rules to government officers, not just to judges.
In Telangana's case, the ERO's name appeared as the objector on auto-generated Form 7s, and the same ERO decided the deletion. Voters also did not get the seven-day notice to object. This raises both natural justice questions: whether the affected voters were heard, and whether the objector and the decision-maker should be the same person.
- Telangana electors placed in ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate) categories after the enumeration phase: 73,39,235
- Listed as permanently shifted: 45,18,963; listed as absent/untraceable: 11,25,546
- Software used to generate Form 7s and detect duplicate entries: ERONET
- ECI guidelines: Form 7 objections to be shown in Form 10 for at least 7 clear days before the ERO decides
- Re-enrolment route for deleted voters: Form 6
- Procedure law: Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, made under the Representation of the People Act, 1950
- Appeal against an ERO's order: Section 24, RPA 1950 (District Magistrate level first, then the State's Chief Electoral Officer)