- Bombay High Court criticizes EC over Goa voter list deletions.
- Court questions Election Commission's software glitch and Form 8.
- Family names deleted despite valid document submission in Goa.
Goa SIR Row: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday slammed the Election Commission over deletion of names of six family members from the final voter list of Goa's Santa Cruz constituency during SIR. The high court asked why the voters should suffer due to the malfunctioning of the poll body's software. The statement came after the petitioner informed that their names were not added despite showing the valid documents.
Row Over Name Deletion
Petitioner Paresh Salgaonkar, during the hearing, told the justices that he and his family submitted Form 8 during the revision process after shifting their residence within the same constituency. However, despite submitting the form and valid documents, their names remained missing from the voter list.
In its response, the Election Commission stated that the software did not allow Form 8 to be processed during the enumeration phase, adding that the concerned individuals were asked to fill Form 6, but they refused. However, the court emphasized that the poll body cannot force the voters to fill Form 6, further raising question on the relevance of Form 8.
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Problem With Software: HC
"That's a problem with your software. Can you imagine what will happen, how many voters you will lose out like this? How can you insist on someone filling a Form 6? Why is Form 8 there, then?" the bench asked. The poll body alleged that the family shifted its residence eight years ago and that they should have informed the authorities. The court, in response, pointed out that they informed by filling the Form 8, but their names still remained missing.
"Since when has this Form 8 been in existence? Go back to pre-electronic age. How would you do it?...Now, because you have software, this issue has arisen. You can’t overwrite the software....This is a mistake on your side," the bench said.
The court has asked the poll body to find solution, as large number of voters are reportedly facing similar issues throughout the country.