False Form 7 Claims Can Lead to One Year in Jail, Warns Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has warned that knowingly submitting false information through Form 7 during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is a criminal offence that can attract imprisonment of up to one year and a fine.

Form 7 is used to raise objections to the inclusion or deletion of a name from an existing electoral roll. Kharge said people who knowingly make false declarations in such applications can face action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Monday, Kharge strongly defended the police cases registered over alleged false Form 7 applications. He alleged that BJP leaders and workers were involved in submitting applications containing incorrect information and described the alleged activity as a “centralised criminal conspiracy” targeting certain sections of society.

Kharge questioned how party workers obtained large numbers of pre printed Form 7 applications containing voter details. He also asked BJP and JD(S) leaders to explain reports that party workers had submitted written requests to Electoral Registration Officers and Tahsildars in Ballari, Babaleshwar, Bhalki and Chikkamagaluru seeking to withdraw thousands of forms.

According to Kharge, some BJP workers had acknowledged errors in the forms and sought their withdrawal. He questioned why such forms were submitted in the first place and how the voter information contained in them was obtained.

The minister also referred to cases in Vijayapura where Form 7 applications allegedly described living voters as dead. He said that when people come forward and complain that false applications were submitted in their names, the police are required to examine the complaints under the applicable law.

Kharge further questioned whether election officials could have been involved if political workers had access to accurate, machine readable voter data. He said the source of pre printed forms and voter information should also be investigated.

The controversy has intensified following reports of bulk Form 7 submissions in several Karnataka constituencies. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has separately sought an investigation into the alleged use of pre printed forms containing voter names and EPIC numbers, citing large numbers of applications in constituencies including Belagavi North, Mudigere, Babaleshwar and Bhalki.

The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer has directed election officials to take action against applicants who knowingly make false claims or declarations in Forms 6, 6A, 7 or 8. The directions state that an inquiry should be conducted before action is taken under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act.

Kharge, however, stressed that cases cannot be registered arbitrarily and must be based on complaints and applicable legal provisions. He said all authorities must function within the framework of law.

The BJP has rejected allegations of a systematic effort to delete voters and has called for proper verification of Form 7 applications. BJP leaders have also questioned what they described as political pressure on the Election Commission.

The investigation into the disputed Form 7 applications is continuing, with election authorities examining complaints and the circumstances surrounding bulk submissions.