Telangana High Court directs ECI to consider Urdu enumeration forms

The Telangana High Court ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider providing enumeration forms in Urdu for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. The directive was issued during a hearing of a petition that challenged the ECI’s decision to issue the forms only in Telugu and English, noting that about 20% of Hyderabad’s electorate speaks Urdu.

The court noted that Urdu‑speaking voters should not be forced to rely on Booth Level Officers for translation and that multilingual forms would better protect their constitutional right to understand voting documents. The ECI said it uses Telugu as the official state language and English in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area, and that BLOs already keep sample Urdu forms to assist voters. The hearing was adjourned for further consideration.