SIR deletes 6 of family: Bombay HC orders their restoration in 10 days
text_fields
Panaji: The Bombay High Court has directed the restoration of the names of six members of a family to Goa's electoral rolls within 10 days after they were excluded during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), raising concerns over the difficulties faced by existing voters during the exercise, according to reports.
A division bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit S. Jamsandekar issued the order on Thursday while hearing a petition filed by Paresh Salgaonkar and five members of his family.
The petitioners, residents of the Santa Cruz Assembly constituency in North Goa, had shifted to another address within the same constituency and submitted Form 8 to update their residential details. However, their names were missing from the draft electoral roll and the final list published on February 21, 2026.
The family challenged the omission, arguing that they were already registered voters and should not have been asked to apply afresh through Form 6, which is meant for new enrolments.
Their lawyer, Vivek Rodrigues, told the court that the rejection of their Form 8 applications came at the final stage of considering objections, leaving them without an opportunity to appeal.
Appearing for the Election Commission of India, senior advocate Ashutosh Kumbhakoni argued that SIR involved preparing electoral rolls afresh and required those missing from the draft list to submit Form 6 along with supporting documents.
The High Court rejected the Commission's position and directed the Electoral Registration Officer of the Santa Cruz constituency to restore all six names within 10 days. It also refused the ECI's request to suspend the order for two weeks to allow it to approach the Supreme Court.