The Bombay High Court has questioned the Election Commission of India over the deletion of voter names during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. A division bench at Goa heard the matter this week. The court asked what the purpose of the revision was if citizens were being removed from the rolls.

The bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit S. Jamsandekar was hearing petitions about Form 8 applications. These applications are filed by voters who have moved to a new address. The court raised concerns over their automated rejection by the Commission’s software.

The judges said the Commission had an obligation to ensure that all Indian citizens stayed on the voter list. They asked whether rejected applications could be kept pending instead of being thrown out. The court also flagged that some rejection orders cited system glitches.

In a separate matter on Monday, the High Court declined to stay voter deletions in Maharashtra. It said the Supreme Court was already hearing the main challenge and would take it up soon. The court adjourned that hearing by four weeks.