EC orders immediate suspension of two UP poll officials over Pilibhit voter entry irregularities

Lucknow: The Election Commission (EC) has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately suspend two electoral registration officers (EROs) over alleged irregularities involving 10,470 voter entries in Pilibhit Assembly constituency.

In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa and the state’s Chief Secretary, the poll panel named EROs Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary and directed that their chargesheets be submitted for its scrutiny. The officers must not be reinstated without the EC’s approval, it said.

The Commission also directed authorities to add Section 198 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with a public servant disobeying the law with intent to cause injury, to the FIR already registered against the two officers and Anil Kumar, a computer operator at the voter registration centre. It asked the state to pursue the cases rigorously in court.

The EC has sought a report within a week from the Pilibhit District Election Officer on the scrutiny of electoral rolls in all four Assembly constituencies in the district, along with the CEO’s comments. It has also asked for an action-taken report on the computer operator and details of the role of five assistant electoral registration officers within three days.

In a statewide directive, the Commission asked all district election officers and EROs to re-examine voter rolls, paying particular attention to entries involving additions, deletions and modifications through Forms 6, 7 and 8.

The directions follow an inquiry into 13,779 Form-8 applications entered by the computer assistant between May 31 and August 29. Of these, 10,470 were approved and 3,309 rejected. However, investigators found no application forms or supporting documents for the entries in the office.

The controversy came to light after complaints that different voters had been assigned identical Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.

The state CEO had earlier ordered the deactivation of computer assistants’ login IDs at voter registration centres across Uttar Pradesh and directed the firm concerned to terminate the services of the outsourced operator allegedly involved in the case. Departmental proceedings had also been initiated against the two EROs.

(With inputs from PTI)