By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 15 July: Panchayat elections in Uttarakhand continue to remain under a cloud for one or the other reasons. The Uttarakhand High Court today took serious note of alleged irregularities in the preparation of the panchayat voter list of Budhlakot Gram Sabha in Nainital district and directed the State Election Commission to submit a detailed reply along with supporting documents by 17 July. A division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Verma, while hearing a public interest litigation (Pil), questioned the basis on which the names of alleged non-residents were included in the voter list, and made it clear that such matters strike at the very root of electoral integrity.
The PIL, earlier filed by Akash Bora, a resident of Budhlakot, alleges that at least 82 persons, many of them reportedly from Odisha and other states, were illegally included in the voter roll of his village despite having no connection with the local area. Following his complaint to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), an inquiry committee was constituted, which after verifying the voter list identified 18 such individuals as outsiders. However, their names were not removed from the final list, raising doubts over the seriousness of the verification process.
Subsequently, Bora submitted to the court an additional list of 30 names he claimed were also illegitimately added, asserting that no concrete action had been taken despite his repeated representations. During the hearing, the counsel for the Election Commission submitted that Booth Level Officers had conducted door-to-door surveys, and the voter list had been compiled on the basis of their field reports. The court, however, expressed dissatisfaction and asked pointedly whether any documentary proof such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs, or certificates of permanent residence had been checked before finalising the list.
The bench asked the Commission to clearly specify whether names were included solely based on verbal declarations to BLOs or if actual documents were examined. If documents were indeed verified, the court directed that the full set of records be placed on file by the next date of hearing. The court also inquired whether the Commission had examined the findings of the SDM-level inquiry, and what action, if any, had been taken in response.
The case raises serious legal questions, especially considering that panchayat elections are governed under the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act, which places a legal obligation on the State Election Commission to ensure that only bona fide residents are enrolled as voters in gram sabhas. Failure to comply could render the election process vulnerable to legal challenge and potentially invalidate the outcome.
This matter assumes even greater significance given the upcoming panchayat elections scheduled to be held across 12 districts of the state in a phased manner. The integrity of voter rolls has become a key issue, especially after the High Court recently had to clarify that it had not stayed the panchayat elections, countering misleading reports circulating on social media and some local platforms. The court had previously sought status reports from the administration and the police regarding election readiness during the ongoing monsoon and the Kanwar Yatra, but had categorically stated that there was no judicial stay on the polls.
The political observers believe that this PIL may set a precedent for further rigorous scrutiny of electoral rolls in rural Uttarakhand, particularly in sensitive areas where demographic shifts, seasonal migration, or administrative lapses can lead to manipulation. The Election Commission has now been put on notice by the judiciary, and its response on 17 July will be closely watched.
