Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday took up a PIL seeking judicial review of alleged widespread voter list manipulation in Assam, following reports of fraudulent objections during the 2026 electoral roll revision and criticism of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks.
Filed by advocate F.Z. Mazumder under Article 226 of the Constitution, the PIL claims widespread misuse of Form-7 objections during the voter revision process.
The petition alleges cases of impersonation, identity fraud, and administrative inaction, which it says have compromised transparency and the rights of lawful voters.
Mazumder has requested the court to appoint an independent judicial inquiry, preferably led by a sitting or retired judge, to investigate the alleged manipulation of the objection process and ensure that no eligible voter is wrongly removed from the rolls.
The petition argues that the election authorities’ failure to act allowed arbitrary deletions and forced affected voters to fight to retain their voting rights.
The PIL cites multiple media reports revealing voters wrongly classified as “dead” or “shifted,” and individuals named as complainants who deny filing any objections. It warns that such misuse could undermine free and fair elections and disproportionately affect marginalized and less-educated communities.
The court has asked the Centre, Assam government, Election Commission of India, and State Electoral Officer to submit their responses by February 24.
The court hearing coincided with a statement from Assam’s Trinamool Congress (TMC), criticizing Chief Minister Sarma for comments alleging “vote theft” during the Special Revision.
In a letter to the Gauhati High Court, TMC State Vice-President Dulu Ahmed said the Chief Minister acknowledged irregularities publicly but did not take action against those responsible.
The letter also raised concerns over the use of the term “Miya,” describing it as a derogatory reference to Bengali-speaking Muslims, and warned that repeated communal remarks could heighten tensions between communities.
TMC called for measures to prevent public officials from making statements that could incite religious or social unrest, and urged the authorities to ensure the voter revision process is free from bias.
The draft electoral rolls published on December 27, 2025, show Assam has 2.51 crore voters.
During the update, 4.78 lakh voters were marked as dead, 5.23 lakh as shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed. Officials said over 61 lakh households were fully verified.”
Six opposition parties alleged legal violations, political interference, and voter harassment during Assam’s Special Revision in a memorandum submitted on January 25.