Uttar Pradesh Authorities Register FIR Against Two SDMs and Computer Operator Following Voter List Irregularities in Pilibhit

LUCKNOW — An FIR has been registered against two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) and a computer operator following an inquiry that uncovered irregularities in 10,470 voter entries within the electoral roll for the Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Pilibhit district magistrate Alok Kumar confirmed the FIR and stated that preliminary investigations revealed lapses on the part of Puranpur SDM Mayank Goswami and Amariya SDM Hemant Chaudhary, conducted on the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa. Both officials have been removed from their posts and attached to the district headquarters, while computer operator Anil Kumar has been dismissed and departmental proceedings have been initiated.

According to the district election officer’s report cited by Rinwa, 13,779 Form-8 applications seeking changes to voter details were entered between May 31 and August 29, 2026, without the corresponding forms or physical records being available in the office. Of these entries, 10,470 applications were approved and 3,309 were rejected.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) directed legal action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code. Authorities are also investigating the role of assistant electoral registration officers in connection with the discrepancies.

The ECI has ordered a comprehensive scrutiny of all Form-6 and Form-7 applications processed by the computer operator between April 10 and October 21. The district election officer has been asked to submit a detailed report within a day, and electoral rolls across all assembly constituencies in Pilibhit are slated for examination, while correction of the affected Form-8 entries is currently under way.

The Pilibhit Sadar constituency is represented by state minister Sanjay Gangwar, who won the 2022 assembly election by a margin of 6,920 votes. According to figures cited by the Congress, the constituency has 3,48,937 registered electors. A special intensive revision for the rolls concluded on April 10.