Kharge defends police cases over alleged false Form 7 applications
CH NEWS BENGALURU Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday defended police action against those accused of submitting false Form 7 applications during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Kharge said knowingly providing false information through Form 7, which is used to object to the inclusion or deletion of names from electoral rolls, constitutes a criminal offence and could attract imprisonment of up to one year and a fine. He alleged that BJP leaders and workers were involved in submitting bulk applications containing incorrect information and described the alleged misuse as a “centralised criminal conspiracy”. He also questioned how party workers obtained pre-printed forms and machine-readable voter lists. He cited instances in which voters reportedly complained that Form 7 applications had been submitted claiming they were dead. Kharge said such complaints should be investigated by police and district authorities. “Let them give any complaint against us to the CEO, and let their complaint be verified in accordance with law,” he said, referring to NDA leaders meeting the Chief Electoral Officer. The minister said several BJP workers had allegedly acknowledged that forms and documents submitted by them were incorrect and that they had made mistakes. He asked BJP and JD(S) leaders to explain such instances to the Chief Electoral Officer. Recently, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukkumar directed Electoral Registration Officers to act against applicants who knowingly make false claims seeking deletion of voters through Form 7. The issue has triggered a political confrontation, with the ruling Congress seeking action over alleged misuse of the form and opposition parties raising questions about the cases registered. “We all will have to work within the framework of law. We cannot file cases arbitrarily. Only when a complaint is given, cases are registered under relevant sections. Just because the complaint is against BJP, we cannot file cases.” Priyank Kharge, Home Minister
FORM 7 ROW • Purpose: Objection to voter inclusion/deletion • Process: Application submitted to electoral authorities • Current exercise: Special Intensive Revision • Police action: Against alleged false claims • CEO: V. Anbukkumar • Issue: Alleged bulk submission of forms
WHAT IS FORM 7? Form 7 is used by voters to raise objections to the proposed inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or seek deletion of an existing entry. During the ongoing SIR, authorities have asked Electoral Registration Officers to act against applicants who knowingly submit false claims. The controversy has intensified after allegations of bulk applications and incorrect information, with political parties seeking action from electoral authorities and police.
