The Election Commission of India on Sunday ordered the suspension of two electoral registration officers over voter list anomalies in Pilibhit. Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary faced action after irregularities surfaced in the Pilibhit Sadar constituency. The commission also directed officials to re-examine all electoral rolls across the state immediately.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday ordered the suspension of two electoral registration officers (EROs) with immediate effect over anomalies in the electoral rolls of Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency.

The officers, Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary, were posted in Pilibhit as subdivisional magistrates (SDMs). The Uttar Pradesh government earlier transferred both SDMs on Saturday and put them on the waitlist.

In a letter to Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa, under secretary, ECI, Deepmala said, "The ECI has examined the report sent by the UP CEO regarding irregularities in the electoral rolls in the Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency. The ECI has ordered suspension of both the EROs. Their chargesheets should be furnished to the Commission for further vetting. The erring officers shall not be reinstated without the prior approval of the commission."

The deputy secretary, ECI, said Section 198 (public servant disobeying law) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) may also be added to the FIR already filed against the two EROs and Anil Kumar, a computer operator at the voter registration centre (VRC).

Their cases in the concerned court should be rigorously pursued to take the matter to its logical conclusion, the ECI officer said.

The report from the Pilibhit district election officer (DEO) regarding the scrutiny of electoral rolls in all four assembly constituencies of the district should be sent to the commission within a week, along with the UP CEO's specific comment, the letter said.

"The action taken report against the VRC operator along with the role of five AEROs of Pilibhit assembly constituency should also be furnished to the Commission within three days," according to the letter.

The Election Commission of India has directed all the DEOs/EROs in the state to thoroughly re-examine the electoral rolls under their jurisdiction, especially data feeding for addition, deletion or modifications done through Forms 6, 7 and 8 in all the assembly constituencies.