Election analyst Sanjay Kumar has secured interim relief from the Supreme Court after the court placed a temporary stay on criminal proceedings initiated against him.
The action followed an FIR filed in Maharashtra over allegations that he circulated inaccurate voter data from the recent elections.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, while granting relief, also issued a notice to the concerned parties, asking them to respond.
Kumar petitioned the court to quash the FIR, contending that the allegations lack foundation and that the invoked legal provisions do not apply.
During the hearing, Kumar’s lawyer argued that the disputed tweet stemmed from a colleague’s error.
The colleague confused figures from the 2024 Lok Sabha election voter list with those from the 2024 Assembly election and publicly shared incorrect numbers.
The defence further highlighted Kumar’s reputation for honesty and integrity, stressing that the episode amounted to nothing more than a human error. The tweet was subsequently deleted, and Kumar issued a public apology.
The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has issued a show-cause notice to Kumar’s institute, the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), over the discrepancies.
Acknowledging the lapse, Kumar admitted his team made a mistake in comparing datasets but emphasised that the error was unintentional.
The FIR against Kumar cites sections 175, 353(1)(b), 212, and 340(1)(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to false information and possible election-related violations.
In the deleted post, Kumar had claimed that in Ramtek constituency, voter numbers fell from 4,66,203 in the Lok Sabha elections to 2,86,931 in the Assembly polls, marking a 38.45 per cent drop. In Deolali, he reported a fall from 4,56,072 to 2,88,141 voters, a decline of 36.82 per cent.
The court will take up the case again after the parties file their responses.
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