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Bombay High Court Highlights Voter Catch-22 Situation in SIR Draft Roll
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News18•05-10-2026, 19:00
Bombay High Court Highlights Voter Catch-22 Situation in SIR Draft Roll
- •The Bombay High Court in Goa stated that voters omitted from the SIR draft roll face a catch-22 situation because the ECI fails to reference old rolls.
- •A division bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar emphasized that no eligible voter should be excluded from the electoral list.
- •The court noted that removing a voter from the draft roll effectively eliminates them from the existing roll, leaving them with no viable recourse.
- •Judges highlighted that ECI guidelines mandate ensuring no citizen is left out of the electoral rolls during the process.
- •The bench was hearing a petition filed by Goa resident Paresh Salgaonkar and his family members after they were omitted during the Special Intensive Revision.
Key Questions Answered
The Bombay High Court noted that voters excluded from the draft roll face a catch-22 situation because the Election Commission of India is not referencing the old rolls, leaving citizens with no way out when they attempt to submit Form 8 after receiving a notice.
A Division Bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar insisted that no eligible voter should be left out of the electoral list, emphasizing that the mandate given in the guidelines ensures eligible citizens are not excluded.
Advocate Gaurish Agni stated that the commission guidelines specify there is an earlier roll in force, and when a person moves constituencies, they have the option to apply for transferring their EPIC to the current segment along with Form 8.
