Karnataka

Karnataka High Court has temporarily paused an FIR filed against two booth-level agents from Malleshwaram. They were accused of submitting false Form 7 applications to remove names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

The bench, led by Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde, gave this relief on Friday, October 9. The court felt the complaint had been filed too hastily.

The FIR was registered at Vyalikaval police station in Bengaluru after Congress leader Anoop Ayyangar filed a complaint. The accused, Vasanthalakshmi and Deepak Singh, are booth-level agents from the Malleshwaram constituency. They approached the High Court to get the FIR cancelled.

Senior advocate Arun Shyam, arguing for the petitioners, said booth-level agents are allowed to file applications for deleting names from electoral rolls. He said the final call on validity rests with election officials, who have to verify every request.

Prosecution said the two agents filed 778 Form 7 applications when the normal limit is just 50. They argued this was done to remove voters for wrong reasons.

Justice Hegde raised sharp questions during the hearing. He asked the prosecution which legal provision makes submitting more than 50 applications an offence. He also pointed out that election officials are the ones who have to examine each application before any deletion.

The court also noted that voters whose names are proposed for deletion will get notices and a fair chance to respond. After hearing both sides, the bench ordered an interim stay, giving temporary relief to the petitioners while the legal challenge continues.

Several voters who were wrongly deleted from electoral rolls or marked as dead showed up at a People's Tribunal event and protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Mahboobi Sheikh, who travelled from Vijayapura with help from Congress Party workers, said authorities handed her a death certificate at her home. "They called me dead. They weren't happy with just removing my vote," she said.

According to attendees, 8 women and 2 men were wrongly issued death certificates after objections by expelled BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal were processed by the Election Commission. Many other eligible voters were marked as Absent or Shifted without any real check into whether they were alive.

Who is affected

Her sister Bibi Zara was also upset. Both are domestic workers who had to skip their daily work and leave young children unattended just to sort this out. "They shouldn't do this with poor people," she said.

The problem is not just in Vijayapura. Mohammed Sawad, a resident of Madikeri, said around 65 people at his polling booth alone were removed from the voter list without proper reason. Locals have filed an FIR and police are investigating. Sawad pointed out he has been voting at the same place for 10 years.

One Muslim woman, who did not want to share her name because her daughter is a government employee, said her family's livelihood depends on the government. "If we speak about them, we don't know what might happen to us," her daughter added.

What voters should know: If you think your name has been wrongly removed from the voter list, check your entry on the ECI portal and file a claim or objection with your local electoral officer. Keep your voter ID documents ready, it always helps in such cases.

Karnataka has received 1.10 lakh Form-7 applications related to voter list inclusion and deletion under the ongoing Special Electoral Roll (SIR) 2026 exercise.

Form-7 is used by voters to ask for their name to be removed from the voter list. Form-6 is used for new voter registration. The high number of applications shows that people across the state are active in cleaning up and updating the voter list.

Revision Process in Progress

Election Commission of India has told all states to finish the revision process within the set time. Karnataka's voter rolls are now being checked carefully for accuracy before the final list comes out.

People who have submitted Form-7 applications should check their status on the official ECI portal or contact their local BLO for updates.

BJP Karnataka unit chief Vijayendra has said the party supports the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, but made it clear that BJP is not defending the Election Commission on this matter.

Vijayendra accused the Congress-led state government of targeting BJP workers through FIRs filed over the SIR of voter rolls. He called it a clear attempt to silence opposition voices raising concerns about the revision process.

A Balancing Act for BJP

His statement puts BJP in a tricky spot. The party backs cleaning up voter rolls, which has been a long-standing demand. But it has kept its distance from defending how the EC is carrying out the revision in Karnataka.

Source: PTI, updated 09 October 2026

Vijayapura: Electoral registration officials have confirmed that eight death certificates shown by BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal were real. This adds a new turn to the voter list revision dispute in Vijayapura.

The disagreement started on September 30 when Yatnal said names of dead people were left in the draft electoral roll made under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He showed eight death certificates and asked officials to check those entries.

On October 3, eight people went to the Deputy Commissioner's office saying they were alive, even though death certificates were linked to their names. They questioned what the MLA had done. Congress leaders stood with them and asked for an official inquiry. Congress leader Abdul Hameed Mushrif went to Vijayapura City Corporation Commissioner Vijayakumar Mekkalki to get the documents checked.

Certificates Were Real, But Names Did Not Match

Officials checked the certificates through the e-Janma database and confirmed they were genuine. The electoral registration authorities said the people who claimed to be alive were not the same persons named in those death certificates. Their names can stay in the electoral roll.

Yatnal's supporters pushed back, saying Congress leaders were making claims without proper facts.

A separate issue also came up involving Muneer Ahmed Shaikh, father of Congress district general secretary Irfan Shaikh. Muneer reportedly died in 2025, yet his name was found in the SIR draft roll. Irfan had already posted news of his father's death on social media. Yatnal's supporters want election authorities to look into how this name ended up on the list.

Source: Report from electoral registration officials, Vijayapura

Karnataka Congress is planning a big padyatra campaign. Block-level marches will run from October 10 to 20. The theme is "Save the Vote, Save the Country".

Senior leader B.K. Hariprasad shared the plan at KPCC office. The main aim is to find people whose names were dropped from voter lists. Party workers will run panchayat-level surveys to spot these voters.

March route and details

Each march starts from an Ambedkar or Gandhi statue. It ends at the Deputy Commissioner's office. The distance is under five kilometres. Senior block leaders will join in.

Hariprasad raised serious complaints. He said women in Vijayapura were wrongly marked as dead. In Malleshwaram, he pointed out that 1,108 applications were filed in one day. This was for 1,211 votes under scrutiny.

The campaign will run through Dasara. Public meetings are planned from October 25 to November 25. State leaders will campaign in their own districts.

Hariprasad also criticized police action during an INDIA alliance protest in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were there. A big protest is planned at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.

Protests against Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls grew in Bengaluru on Thursday. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, and actor-activist Prakash Raj joined the protest at Freedom Park. They demanded that the exercise be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.

Voter Removal Concerns

Dipke said the voter name deletions under SIR target people who oppose BJP. He claimed 13 crore votes have been deleted across India and around one crore in Karnataka. Rathee said the issue of 'vote theft' affects every person, no matter their politics. He also alleged there is zero transparency and zero accountability from the Election Commission about SIR.

Prakash Raj called for SIR to be scrapped. He said it attacks the dignity and rights of people. He claimed names of tribal people, the poor, Muslims, and other minorities have been removed from voter lists.

Thousands gathered at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and several social organisations jointly organised the event, and their demand was clear: scrap the SIR exercise entirely and restore electoral rolls to their pre-revision status.

Actor Prakash Raj, director Kavita Lankesh, and CJP founder Abhijeeth Deepke were among the prominent faces at the protest. Prakash Raj took direct aim at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, questioning whether he was acting independently and raising serious doubts about how the entire revision process has been carried out.

Protesters alleged that voter names have been deleted from electoral rolls without any prior notice or due procedure. Concerns were flagged about reported removals across West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Goa, with speakers demanding that the Election Commission openly share its methodology. Several participants also called for the resignation of the CEC, arguing that the SIR process has adversely impacted genuine voters.

A "People's Tribunal" was held at the venue, giving voters from Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka a chance to share their experiences of alleged name deletions. The organisers demanded immediate corrective action and full public disclosure of data related to the revision exercise. Heavy security and barricades were put in place around Freedom Park and near the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Bengaluru.

Thousands of supporters from India's youth "Cockroach" movement and several student groups took to the streets in Bengaluru on Thursday. They are demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over a controversial revision of voter lists.

The campaign across the country has intensified after over 13 crore people were reportedly removed from the electoral rolls. Protesters argue that such a massive removal threatens the democratic process and disenfranchises eligible voters.

Source: Associated Press

Freedom Park in Bengaluru saw a big protest on 8 October against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. The crowd, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanded that the SIR process be scrapped right away and that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj showed up alongside CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke at the rally. It was Rathee's first public protest appearance in India. He criticised the Election Commission for its lack of clarity and accountability. He also urged people to come to the CJP demo at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 10 October.

What protesters raised

Protesters said that eligible voters had been removed from the lists during the revision. The organisers held a People's Tribunal where citizens from different parts of Karnataka shared stories of voters being deleted. Placards at the venue read 'Error 404: Name Not Found' and 'Don't erase us, hear us'.

Karnataka is right in the middle of SIR, so the voter roll revision is a live issue in the state. The Election Commission has said the revision process is backed by law. It has also provided official services where voters can check their names and submit papers if needed.

The protest came just two days before CJP's planned demo at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 10 October. CJP has said it will keep up its campaign if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.

Citizens gathered at Freedom Park in Bengaluru to protest the One Nation One Election policy and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Abhijeet Dipke, a member of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), led the demonstration and compared the government's plans to historical authoritarianism.

Dipke alleged that simultaneous elections are a way to push for one-party rule. He accused the Election Commission of India of 'vote theft' and claimed names are being deleted from voter lists to remove people who oppose the ruling party. 'Attempts are being made to destroy institutions of India,' Dipke stated, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Notable Figures Join the Protest

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj also joined the agitation. Rathee criticised the lack of clarity in the SIR exercise, while Prakash Raj called it an attack on the dignity of citizens. Protesters displayed posters with slogans like 'Error 404 - Name Not Found' and 'Don't erase us, hear us'.

A software engineer from Bengaluru shared a personal story, revealing that his name was deleted from the voter list without his knowledge. He stated he did not know who filed the Form-7 application for his deletion. The organisers announced that this 'people's tribunal' will be followed by a 'Chappal protest' in solidarity with women affected by the process.

Hundreds gathered at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday for a CJP-led protest demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj were at the demonstration.

Protesters raised concerns about how the Election Commission works and its voter-verification drive, especially the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. They claimed names of voters, including Muslim and Dalit citizens, were removed from the lists without telling them.

Mujibur Rehman, a Bengaluru software engineer, said his name vanished from the voter list after a Form 7 request he never made. Shakil Basha, who said he worked with election officials during the SIR process, made similar claims. Demonstrators carried posters of Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose and called for a full investigation into the process.

This protest came after reports of disagreements inside the Election Commission over changes to Form 6 and the ECINET voter-roll database. The Commission later pulled back the Form 6 changes and announced steps to help voters who had been left off the rolls.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led INDIA bloc plans another protest near Rajghat in Delhi, though Delhi Police have restricted large gatherings there. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said the opposition will keep protesting until Kumar steps down. Kerala government, led by Congress, has also told its Vigilance Bureau to reopen a 2006 bribery case involving the CEC.