SIR Notice Flags CNR Rao Over Spelling Mismatch in Bengaluru Roll
A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notice has summoned Bharat Ratna awardee and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao for a hearing in Bengaluru after a spelling discrepancy was identified between entries in electoral rolls, according to a Times of India report published on September 9.
The notice cites a self-name mismatch. The 2002 electoral roll records Rao’s name as “Prof C N R Rao”, while the current roll lists it as “Proff C N R Rao”, with an additional “f”. The discrepancy was flagged during the SIR process in Karnataka.
Under the procedure described in the report, a self-name mismatch occurs when information provided by an elector in the SIR enumeration form, based on the 2002 electoral roll, does not correspond with the person’s entry in the current electoral roll. Rao has consequently been asked to establish his identity at a hearing.
The report said that only the person named in the notice can attend the hearing. Rao has been asked to appear in person at a venue in Malleshwaram, near the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in Bengaluru.
Rao, 92, was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2014. He is the third scientist to receive India’s highest civilian honour, according to the report.
The case follows a similar spelling discrepancy involving economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, whose name was also flagged during the revision process. The Election Commission of India has said Sen has been exempted from appearing in person at the hearing, the report stated.
The SIR process requires electoral records and the details submitted by voters to be compared. In cases where the information does not match, the affected elector may be required to respond to a notice and establish the relevant identity details.
The report did not provide further details about the date of Rao’s hearing, the issuing election office or whether the spelling in the current roll will be corrected after the hearing. The next formal step is Rao’s appearance before the designated authority in Malleshwaram, as required by the notice.
