Telangana HC asks ECI to consider Urdu version of SIR Forms in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to examine the possibility of providing enumeration forms in Urdu, citing the significant Urdu-speaking population in Hyderabad.

The court’s direction came during the hearing of a petition challenging the ECI’s decision to issue forms only in English and Telugu for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana. The revision process began on June 25 and is scheduled to continue until July 24.

Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy, who is hearing the case, considered a petition filed by social activist MA Mujeeb Ayyub. The petitioner argued that excluding Urdu from the forms could create difficulties for a large section of Hyderabad voters, as Urdu is spoken by around 20% of the city’s electorate, Siasat Daily reported.

The petition also pointed out that Hyderabad is a diverse metropolitan city with residents from states such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. It argued that citizens who are not comfortable with either Telugu or English could face challenges in understanding and completing the forms.

Representing the Election Commission, advocate Avinash Desai told the court that the organisation was following its established policy regarding the languages used for electoral documents.

The ECI explained that Telugu was chosen because it is the official language of Telangana, while forms in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area were prepared in English. It also said the decision to use Telugu and English was taken after discussions with representatives of all political parties.

The Election Commission informed the court that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had been instructed to keep five to 10 sample enumeration forms in Urdu so that voters who require assistance could better understand and complete the process.

The High Court has adjourned the hearing until next week.