Kharghar SIR Forms Row: CJP, VFD, BCS Seek Time-Bound Probe Into Recovery Of 3,404 Voter Documents

Navi Mumbai: Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), Vote for Democracy (VFD) and the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) have demanded an impartial and time-bound probe into the recovery of 3,404 original Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Enumeration Forms from a private photocopying centre in Sector 19, Kharghar.

In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, dated September 2, the organisations said the incident raises serious questions over the security and chain of custody of electoral documents.

The forms reportedly related to 11 polling stations in the 188-Panvel Assembly Constituency.

An FIR has reportedly been registered against Suraj Patil, while five Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been suspended and a departmental inquiry initiated.

Probe into document security

The groups said the investigation should establish who removed the original forms from official custody, who authorised their photocopying and whether voter information was scanned, photographed, digitally stored or transmitted.

"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," the organisations said.

They also called for preservation of CCTV footage and examination of computers, scanners, photocopiers and other equipment involved in reproducing the forms.

Concerns over SIR exercise

The organisations linked the Kharghar incident to the larger concerns surrounding the SIR exercise, pointing to around 2.07 crore Enumeration Forms classified as "uncollectable" at the draft stage.

While acknowledging that this classification does not automatically mean permanent deletion, they said the scale of exclusions makes an error-free verification process essential.

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Demand for stronger safeguards

CJP, VFD and BCS have demanded a state-wide audit of the custody and handling of SIR forms and called for stronger, uniform safeguards to prevent unauthorised access or reproduction of electoral records.

They urged the Election Commission to treat the Kharghar episode as an institutional matter concerning the integrity of Maharashtra's electoral process.

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