HC notices to EC, Delhi Govt on deletion of names from rolls

HC notices to EC, Delhi Govt on deletion of names from rolls
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 3: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought replies from the Election Commission (EC) and Delhi Government on a petition challenging deletion of names of about 12,000 voters from the electoral rolls in the Capital on the ground that the area they were living in was dominated by Bangladeshis.

While issuing notices to the EC, the State Government and its Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) asking them to file replies, a division bench comprising Justice Arun Kumar and Justice D K Jain referred the petition to a bench headed by the High Court Chief Justice to hear it with another plea on "illegal" Bangladeshi immigrants.

The petition filed by people's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) alleged that names of these voters falling within the Matiamahal Assembly constituency in Old Delhi were deleted by the State's ERO in 1994 without verifying their identity.

Counsel for the PUCL, Prashant Bhushan, told the court that the Supreme Court had laid down certain guidelines on entering and deletionof the names when the matter was brought before it some time back, but the ERO and the State Government were not following the apex court guidelines.