Telangana HC seeks response on plea against non-tribal voters in Scheduled Areas

The Telangana High Court has directed authorities to respond within two weeks to a writ petition filed by Adivasi Sena, which challenges the inclusion of non-tribal voters in electoral rolls of Fifth Scheduled Areas during the Special Intensive Revision 2026.

By Our Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin of the Telangana High Court on Thursday heard a writ petition seeking deletion of allegedly illegal non-tribal voters from the electoral rolls in the Fifth Scheduled Areas of Telangana during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 and directed the respondents to file their counters within two weeks.

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The writ petition was filed by Adivasi Sena through its State General Secretary, contending that electoral authorities were conducting the Special Intensive Revision in the Fifth Scheduled Areas without adhering to the provisions of the Telangana Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation, 1959, as amended by Regulation I of 1970, the PESA Act, 1996 and the constitutional safeguards applicable to Scheduled Areas.

The petitioners alleged that non-tribal migrants were being illegally continued and enrolled in the electoral rolls, thereby diluting the political rights of Scheduled Tribes. Counsel for the petitioners, Ch. Ravi Kumar, contended that despite repeated representations, including one submitted during the ongoing SIR exercise, the authorities had failed to evolve a mechanism to verify and remove ineligible non-tribal voters from the electoral rolls in the Scheduled Areas.

After hearing the submissions, the Division Bench issued directed notices to be issued to the respondents and granted two weeks time to file their counters.