An FIR has been registered against two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) and a computer operator over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll of Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency, after an inquiry found discrepancies in 10,470 voter entries.
Pilibhit district magistrate (DM) Alok Kumar confirmed the FIR and said preliminary investigations, conducted on the directions of Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa, found lapses on the part of Puranpur SDM Mayank Goswami and Amariya SDM Hemant Chaudhary. Both officers have been removed from their posts and attached to the district headquarters, while computer operator Anil Kumar has been dismissed. Departmental proceedings against the two SDMs have also been initiated.
Rinwa said the district election officer’s report found that 13,779 Form-8 applications seeking changes to voter details had been entered between May 31 and August 29, 2026, without the corresponding forms or records being available in the office. Of these, 10,470 applications were approved and 3,309 rejected.
The computer operator and the two electoral registration officers (EROs) responsible for the constituency during the periods ending July 16 and from July 17 to August 29 have been held responsible for the irregularities. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed legal action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The role of assistant electoral registration officers is also being investigated.
{{/usCountry}}The computer operator and the two electoral registration officers (EROs) responsible for the constituency during the periods ending July 16 and from July 17 to August 29 have been held responsible for the irregularities. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed legal action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The role of assistant electoral registration officers is also being investigated.
{{/usCountry}}The case has sparked a political controversy as Pilibhit Sadar is represented by state minister Sanjay Gangwar, who won the 2022 assembly election by 6,920 votes. The constituency has 3,48,937 registered electors, according to figures cited by the Congress.
The ECI has ordered scrutiny of all Form-6 applications for enrolment and Form-7 applications for deletion processed by the computer operator between April 10, when the special intensive revision (SIR) concluded, and October 21. The district election officer (DEO) has been asked to submit a detailed report within a day.
Electoral rolls across all assembly constituencies in Pilibhit are also to be examined, while correction of affected Form-8 entries is under way.