ECI withdraws SIR notice to Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has withdrawn a notice issued to Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba, HT reported. The notice was regarding a name discrepancy during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Karnataka's electoral roll. Hajabba was asked to appear at a gram panchayat on September 11 with original documents for verification. Per reports, his name in the 2002 electoral roll differed from what he provided during SIR enumeration.
Document verification
Hajabba's documents show same name
Hajabba's Aadhaar card, ration card, passport, and voter ID all carry the name Harekala Hajabba. The same name appears on documents related to his Padma Shri.
But his name appeared as only Hajabba in the 2002 electoral roll.
After the notice was issued, officials visited his home and withdrew it after assuring him that they would look into the matter.
"I do not know what they will do next," he said, but expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved.
Personal background
Who is Hajabba?
Hajabba, a resident of Newpadapu in Mangaluru, is a fruit seller-turned-education activist.
He shot to fame after he used his savings from selling oranges to set up a primary school in his village.
For his contribution to education, he was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2020.
Revision drive
SIR process in Karnataka
The SIR process in Karnataka started on June 30, with over 43.81 lakh notices expected to be issued.
The process will continue until October 22, with the final electoral roll to be published on October 27.
In May, the ECI announced Phase 3 of SIR across several states and Union Territories, including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Delhi, among others.
The first two phases of SIR covered nearly 590 million electors across 13 states and Union Territories.