SC to hear CSDS’ Sanjay Kumar’s challenge to FIR on Maharashtra polls post

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Monday plea of Sanjay Kumar, a faculty at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) against FIR lodged by Nagpur police in connection with social media post on Maharashtra elections.

Two FIRs were registered against psephologist and CSDS professor on charges of "false statement in connection with an election" over his claims regarding the number of voters in two assembly segments in Maharashtra polls compared to the 2024 general elections.

The cases were registered in Nagpur district and Nashik on Wednesday.

Kumar's post had claimed a significant dip in voter numbers in two assembly seats compared to the 2024 general elections, which were held nearly six months apart. He later deleted it on Tuesday and in another post, apologised for posting "erroneous data" on the microblogging platform.

An FIR was registered against Kumar on a complaint lodged by the tehsildar of Ramtek in Nagpur district in connection with his claims on the difference in the number of voters for the Hingna assembly constituency, a senior police officer told PTI.

He was booked under sections 175 (False statement in connection with an election), 353 (1) B (Statements conducting to public mischief), 212 (providing false information to a public servant), and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.

Another case was registered at Sarkarwada police station in Nashik city on a complaint lodged by the Nayab-Tahasildar of Deolali assembly constituency in Nashik district.

The official said Kumar, in a post dated August 11, 2025, mentioned that the number of voters in the Deolali constituency during (2024) Lok Sabha election was 4,56,072, whereas the actual number was 2,76,902.

Kumar purportedly mentioned the voters' population in Deolali during the assembly elections (held in November 2024) was 2,88,141, which is misleading, the official said.

He has been booked under relevant sections of the BNS for spreading misleading information related to elections on social media platforms, the official added.

Other important cases listed before the Supreme Court on Monday, Aug 25:

* SC to hear plea of NGO seeking action against YouTubers, influencers and stand up comedians for ridiculing patients with rare genetic disorders and those suffering from disabilities.

* SC to hear pleas related to farmers protests and consideration of a report of high powered committee headed ex-HC judge on root cause of farmers distress.

* SC to hear a batch of pleas of Short Service Commission Army women officers against denial of permanent commission to them.

* SC to hear plea seeking direction to Centre to take diplomatic action for saving life of Indian national Nisha Priya who has been sentenced to death in Yemen for alleged offence of murder.

* SC to hear suo motu case related to ecological imbalance in Himachal Pradesh in which it has earlier cautioned that the entire state may "vanish into thin air" if the situation did not change.