Paresh Salgaoncar Challenges ECI in High Court Over Deleted Voter ID

The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court voiced concern over voter roll deletions on Thursday. The court acted on a petition filed by 41-year-old Santa Cruz resident Paresh Salgaoncar. Judges noted that "the rules have been suspended" during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

The bench also wondered about "how many who have not come to court". It told the Election Commission of India to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded.

Salgaoncar works in the private sector in North Goa. He has voted in panchayat, state, and Lok Sabha elections since 2003. Over eight years ago, Salgaoncar and his family moved from Part No.

29 to Part No. 25. When house-to-house enumeration began in November, he contacted his local Booth Level Officer.

Read More: BJP Walks Out of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Over Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's Resolution on Statehood

On November 12, 2025, the officer instructed Salgaoncar to submit Form 8 for an address update.

The family submitted the forms, which were uploaded to the portal on December 8. The draft electoral roll appeared on December 16, but their names were missing. On January 21, the Electoral Registration Officer formally rejected their Form 8 applications.

Salgaoncar learned that form processing had been stopped on October 27, 2025.

Officials moved the family to the Absent, Shift, Duplicate, Dead list and deleted their voter cards. "They (officials) said the system is not retrieving the EPICs," Salgaoncar stated. His name was placed on the ASDD list without any notice or hearing.

noting that, they said. that since we had shifted residence, our EPIC stood deleted, Salgaoncar said. He added that staff told him Form 8 applications could no longer be processed.

Election staff told Salgaoncar his only remedy was to file Form 6. Form 6 requires an applicant to declare that they are a first-time voter.

Also Read: UAE Commemorates Heroic Pilot Smit Machchhar After Averted Terrorist Incident

Salgaoncar wanted "not to lie", stating that the demand went against his ethics. noting that i was told the only remedy available was to submit Form 6, he said. He noted there was no software option in ERONET for reviewing or restoring deleted cards.

In February 2026, the final electoral roll was published without his family's names. Salgaoncar lodged formal complaints on the National Grievance Service Portal and with election officers. Officers responded that the window for address updates froze during the enumeration phase.

Salgaoncar asked why authorities did not inform the public about that freeze.

"Finally, in May, he filed a petition in the High Court." He voiced fear that losing his past voting history could impact future government scheme benefits. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had also raised objections to the revision exercise. The High Court ordered the election body to ensure eligible citizens are not disenfranchised.