PIL on ‘missing’ voters: HC reserves order till May 12

The court had earlier asked the couple why they had not complained or appealed to the authorities when they realised that their names were missing from the electoral rolls.

The court was told by the petitioners’ lawyers on Tuesday that over 2 lakh names, both in Mumbai city and suburbs and Pune, were deleted. The lawyer, representing Palekar and a few others, had urged the court to grant “appropriate reliefs” under the court’s jurisdiction. On the other hand, senior counsel A A Kumbhakoni, who was representing two Mumbai-based NGOs Action for Good Governance and Networking In India (AGNI) and Birthright, sought re-poll for those who could not exercise their franchise.

The HC had then raised its concern over interfering with the electoral process. It also questioned the practical feasibility of getting verification of lakhs of such voters done all over again and conducting re-poll. The court, while noting down submissions of the lawyers for interim relief, had expressed that there would have to be a detailed inquiry and each case would require introspection.