Telangana High Court on Thursday directed a petitioner seeking special revision of electoral rolls of Nampally assembly constituency to approach Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), observing that the petitioner could not make out a case for interference.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice N.V. Shrvan Kumar, disposing of the writ petition, said the ERO should take action in accordance with law if a person aggrieved with the electoral rolls approaches the officer ERO under Sections 22 or 23 of the Representation of People Act. The writ petition was filed by Mohammed Feroz Khan who thrice contested from Nampally as Congress nominee.
He also contested 2019 Lok Sabha election from Hyderabad on Congress ticket. Mr. Feroz Khan contended that in Nampally constituency there are bogus voters, dead persons listed as voters, persons having their names in two constituencies as voters, and voters who already shifted from Nampally constituency. According to him, the constituency’s electoral rolls contain 1,13,310 votes liable for deletion on such grounds.
The petitioner’s counsel Zulfaquar Alam contended the constituency’s electoral rolls had 10,473 dead voters and 34,867 bogus voters while 45,567 voters had shifted to other constituencies.
Senior counsel Avniash Desai appearing for the ECI said the ERO had published draft electoral rolls on August 21, 2023. The objections, if any, could have been raised during August 21 and September 19. Claims and objections were decided on September 28.
The final electoral rolls were published on October 4. The petitioner had not challenged the revised electoral rolls, and the court cannot examine validity of the same under Article 226 of the Constitution, the Bench noted.
