Gokak

BJP leader and doctor Ravi Patil, 55, has got interim anticipatory bail in the fake Form 7 voter deletion case in Belagavi. The II additional district and sessions court sitting at Gokak passed the order on Saturday.

Congress block-level agent Meerasab Sanadi had complained that 20 to 25 people, including Patil, filed 198 fake Form 7 applications with booth level officers of Belagavi City Corporation. The goal, as alleged, was to delete names of voters from a particular community during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision. All 198 of them are genuine residents living at the addresses given in the electoral roll.

What the court said

Market police booked the case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 318(4), 336(3), 336(4), 353 and 61(2). Patil, accused number 3, said he had nothing to do with the offence and was ready to cooperate.

Judge Gangadhara KN noted that the case rests on documents already with the BLOs. Filing a Form 7 does not mean a name gets deleted, he observed, since election authorities run their own checking. The court also pointed out that the complaint came more than eight days after the September 26 incident.

Bail was granted on a Rs 50,000 bond with one surety. Patil has been told not to threaten witnesses or skip appearances before the investigating officer. Notices have gone to the public prosecutor and the Belagavi City police commissioner.

Note: Rahul Gandhi and CM DK Shivakumar had reacted sharply to this alleged deletion conspiracy. Patil had fought the last Assembly election against Congress candidate Asif Sait.

Belagavi authorities released a draft voter list after a special review. Over 5.1 lakh voters are marked under the ASDDO category. This label covers entries for people who are absent, shifted, dead, or listed twice. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan said these tags appear most in Belagavi North, Belagavi South, Gokak, and Arabhavi constituencies.

Updating voter details

If your name is missing, you can still apply. Use Form-6 on the official voter service website. You can also visit your local booth-level officer. The district added 119 new polling stations to manage crowds. Check the draft list at your local gram panchayat or tahsildar office. Make sure your details are correct.

Schoolchildren in Belagavi were reportedly used for Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Reports say students at a government school in Maradimutt village helped Booth Level Officers with paperwork and pasting photos. This has caused a big stir.

Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan acted quickly. He ordered a probe and asked Gokak Tahsildar for an explanation. He promised strict action if officials broke any rules.

Investigation into electoral roll work

Political leaders are now worried. They've raised questions about whether the current revision process across the state is being handled properly. Strict action will be taken if the checking process finds faults.

Serious claims have come up about the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in Karnataka. Reports say school children were asked to help Booth Level Officers at a government school in Maradimath village, located in Gokak taluk. This goes against official rules. Those rules say only designated officers should do door-to-door verification.

Political leaders have reacted strongly. Leaders from BJP and JD(S) filed formal complaints with Chief Electoral Officer. They are worried about how enumeration forms are handled.

Voter List Concerns

The state has put 68,000 officials on the job for this large exercise. Still, these reports of problems make the process look bad. Final electoral roll will be published on October 7, 2026.