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Telangana Chief Electoral Officer on Monday has directed officials to initiate action against applicants who knowingly make false statements or declarations in Forms 6, 6A, 7 and 8 during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a letter addressed to the Commissioner, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and District Election Officer (DEO), Hyderabad, as well as all Collectors and DEOs in the state, the CEO directed that strict action be taken against those found responsible for making false declarations. According to an official statement, the CEO's office has received information about instances of bulk applications being filed in Form 7 before Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), with allegations that some of these applications are not genuine. The CEO further directed that any such action should be preceded by an inquiry under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The SIR of electoral rolls is currently underway in Telangana. The development comes amid a separate controversy over changes to Form 6, used for enrolment of new voters during the ongoing SIR exercise. The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that it had not approved any modified version of Form 6 being used for voter enrolment during the SIR. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said it would examine the record to ascertain who had introduced the changes after the Election Commission claimed last week that the new declaration attached to the online Form 6 had been approved by the apex court. "Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let's be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified it," the CJI observed. The clarification came while the bench was hearing a plea filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi seeking prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other officials over alleged unilateral decisions concerning the SIR exercise. The controversy relates to a new declaration in Form 6 requiring applicants to state whether they or their parents were mapped in the previous SIR. The requirement was not part of the earlier Form 6 used during SIR exercises in other states. (ANI)
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