17 hrs ago
Groups Seek Probe Into Kharghar SIR Voter Documents
Three civic groups want a careful investigation into voter forms found at a photocopy shop in Kharghar.
There were 3,404 original forms, linked to 11 polling stations.
The forms were part of the Special Intensive Revision of voter records.
The groups want to know how the forms left official custody.
They also want investigators to check whether voter information was copied, photographed, scanned or shared digitally.
An FIR was reportedly filed against Suraj Patil.
Five Booth Level Officers were suspended while a departmental inquiry started.
The groups say the case could affect trust in Maharashtra’s election process.
They also want stronger rules for protecting voter documents everywhere in the state.
Citizens for Justice and Peace, Vote for Democracy and Bombay Catholic Sabha sought an impartial, time-bound probe.
Authorities recovered 3,404 original Special Intensive Revision Enumeration Forms from a private photocopying centre in Sector 19, Kharghar.
The forms reportedly concerned 11 polling stations in the 188-Panvel Assembly Constituency.
An FIR was reportedly registered against Suraj Patil; five Booth Level Officers were suspended and a departmental inquiry began.
The groups urged CCTV preservation, equipment checks, a state-wide custody audit and stronger safeguards for electoral records.
- Who
- Citizens for Justice and Peace, Vote for Democracy and the Bombay Catholic Sabha made the demand; an FIR was reportedly registered against Suraj Patil, and five Booth Level Officers were suspended.
- What
- The organisations sought an impartial, time-bound investigation into the recovery of 3,404 original Special Intensive Revision Enumeration Forms and related document-security concerns.
- Where
- The forms were recovered from a private photocopying centre in Sector 19, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, and reportedly related to the 188-Panvel Assembly Constituency.
- When
- The organisations’ letter to Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer was dated September 2; the article does not specify the year.
- Why
- The groups want authorities to determine how the forms left official custody, whether voter information was reproduced or transmitted, and whether electoral-document safeguards were breached.
Key facts
- Documents recovered
- 3,404 original Special Intensive Revision Enumeration Forms
- Location
- A private photocopying centre in Sector 19, Kharghar
- Polling stations involved
- 11 polling stations
- Assembly constituency
- 188-Panvel Assembly Constituency
- Reported action
- An FIR was reportedly registered against Suraj Patil
- Administrative action
- Five Booth Level Officers were suspended and a departmental inquiry was initiated
- Additional demand
- A state-wide audit of the custody and handling of Special Intensive Revision forms
Quotes
CJP, VFD and BCS
Civil society organisations Citizens for Justice and Peace, Vote for Democracy and the Bombay Catholic Sabha
“The issue is not one of attributing guilt by association. It is one of determining whether political actors obtained access to voter information outside the safeguards governing the electoral process.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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