The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the District Election Officer (DEO), Lucknow, to examine grievances raised by former residents of Akbar Nagar who alleged that they were excluded from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh following the demolition of their homes and subsequent relocation, Live Law reported.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi declined to entertain a writ petition filed by 91 displaced residents and asked them to first approach the District Election Officer.
The Court said that if their grievances were not addressed, they would be free to move the Allahabad High Court. Clarifying its position, the bench stated that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case.
The petitioners contended that they had been residents of Akbar Nagar from before 1980 until 2024–25, when their homes were demolished and they were rehabilitated in the Vasant Kunj area outside Lucknow city.
Due to the relocation, their electoral constituency changed. They alleged that election authorities failed to recognise them as existing voters during the SIR process and instead asked them to register as new voters by submitting Form 6 rather than issuing Enumeration Forms (EFs).
Senior Advocate M.R. Shamshad, appearing for the petitioners, informed the Court that many of their names appeared in earlier electoral rolls, including those from 2002 and the summary revision conducted in Akbar Nagar in 2025.
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