'It's a crime': UP CEO on alteration of 10,470 Pilbhit voters after SIR final roll

After the April 10 final electoral roll was published, 13,779 Form-8 entries appeared in Pilibhit between May 31 and August 29, 2026. Officials approved 10,470 and rejected 3,309. Every approved entry was later found irregular.

The most serious finding was the absence of supporting applications or documents for any of the 13,779 entries. The computer operator allegedly entered applications without receiving them from voters, while electoral registration officers approved or rejected them through separate accounts.

Chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa said the incident involved no hacking, system glitch or technical malfunction. The department ordered corrections to affected records and began wider checks of Form-6 and Form-7 entries, as well as the other three assembly constituencies in Pilibhit. Districts across Uttar Pradesh were also asked to investigate possible similar manipulation.

Form-8 is an electoral application used to change details in an existing voter record. Under current Election Commission practice, it can cover corrections to entries, shifting residence, replacement of an EPIC, or marking disability information. The article specifically discusses Form-8 corrections, but does not list every permitted category.

In Pilibhit, the alleged abuse involved creating Form-8 entries without receiving applications or documents from voters. The operator entered the applications using his credentials, and the relevant electoral registration officer later approved or rejected them through a separate account.

Between May 31 and August 29, officials entered 13,779 Form-8 applications. They approved 10,470 and rejected 3,309. The absence of supporting records made the approved changes irregular. The election department ordered corrections and expanded scrutiny to other types of voter-record activity.

The figures reveal the scale of the alleged manipulation. Between May 31 and August 29, 2026, officials entered 13,779 Form-8 applications after the April 10 final electoral roll. Of these, 10,470 were approved and 3,309 were rejected.

The missing paperwork is central to the case. Election officials found no supporting application forms or related documents for any of the 13,779 entries. Therefore, all 10,470 approved entries were classified as irregular. The article describes this as deliberate action, not a clerical mistake.

The entries were made in two periods. There were 4,717 entries through July 16, followed by 9,062 between July 17 and August 29. The department is correcting affected records and checking Form-6 and Form-7 activity for possible additional manipulation.

The alleged process involved three officials. Anil Kumar, the computer assistant and VRC operator, was accused of entering Form-8 applications. Mayank Goswami handled approvals from May 31 to July 16, while Hemant Kumar handled them from July 17 to August 29.

The operator entered applications using his credentials and an OTP sent to his registered mobile number. An ERO then used a separate login, password and OTP authentication to approve or reject each application. Chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa said this process required direct authentication or sharing of OTPs.

The FIR names Goswami, Hemant Kumar and Anil Kumar. They were booked under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Section 201 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The operator is being removed, while departmental proceedings are starting against both SDMs.

The final electoral roll is meant to provide the official voter record for an election. Altering it afterward without a voter’s knowledge can change identity details or other information that voters rely on. That can create confusion and undermine confidence in the electoral process.

Advocate Faizan Ali Khan said another person’s name appeared against his EPIC number. He also found 142 altered voter entries among 1,037 voters at his polling booth, even though his name and family details were correct in the April 10 final SIR list.

The election department ordered correction of affected records and a separate investigation into assistant electoral registration officers. It also expanded scrutiny to Form-6 and Form-7 entries and directed district magistrates across Uttar Pradesh to examine possible manipulation. The case involves criminal and departmental action.

The three forms serve different purposes in the voter-record system. Form-6 is used to apply for inclusion of a voter’s name. Form-7 is used to request deletion of a name. Form-8 is used to seek changes or corrections to an existing voter record.

The Pilibhit case directly concerns Form-8 applications. Officials allegedly entered 13,779 of them without supporting applications or documents, then approved 10,470 and rejected 3,309. The article identifies Form-6 and Form-7 as separate processes, not as part of those 13,779 entries.

The investigation is now broader. Officials sought examination of all Form-6 applications entered by the computer operator and all Form-7 applications for deletion of names. They also ordered similar scrutiny in Pilibhit’s other three assembly constituencies and asked districts across Uttar Pradesh to report possible manipulation.

An electoral roll is the official list of voters maintained for an electoral area. It records the people eligible to vote there. Accurate rolls help election officials identify voters and support orderly, trusted elections.

The Pilibhit case shows why its integrity matters. After the April 10 final roll, officials allegedly created and approved thousands of unsupported Form-8 entries. Faizan Ali Khan said another person’s name appeared against his EPIC number, and he found 142 altered entries among 1,037 voters at his booth.

The department ordered corrections and wider investigation. It is checking Form-6 inclusion applications, Form-7 deletion applications and other constituencies in Pilibhit. District magistrates across Uttar Pradesh were also directed to examine possible manipulation. These steps are intended to identify and correct further irregularities.