Thrissur Court Issues Notice to BLO Over Alleged Voter Enrolment Irregularities

A Thrissur Judicial First Class Magistrate Court has issued a notice to a Booth-Level Officer (BLO) on Monday regarding allegations of illegal voter enrolment linked to Union Minister Suresh Gopi. The court acted on a complaint by senior Congress leader and former MP T.N. Prathapan, who accused a criminal conspiracy in adding votes during the last Lok Sabha elections.
Gopi, who secured a significant victory, enabling the lotus to flourish in Kerala for the first time in a Lok Sabha poll, is at the center of the controversy. The court has summoned the concerned BLO to appear in person on January 20 after identifying grounds to seek clarification from election officials involved in the process.
The complaint alleges that Suresh Gopi, along with his brother Subhash Gopi and other family members, were unlawfully enrolled as voters at the Mukkatukara polling booth in the Thrissur Assembly constituency, despite not meeting the eligibility criteria for that area. The voter enrolments were reportedly conducted using forged documents, indicating a criminal conspiracy allegedly carried out in collaboration with the Booth-Level Officer.
Prathapan argued that the purported irregularities compromised the integrity of the electoral process and necessitated judicial review. The court, while reviewing the case, noted that Suresh Gopi was not a public servant when the alleged offense occurred, as it transpired before he assumed office as a Union Minister. Consequently, the court determined that statutory notice under provisions applicable to public servants was not necessary in his case.
Therefore, the court decided to proceed by issuing a notice to the BLO, who was directly responsible for verifying and processing voter enrolment at the booth level. The notice mandates the officer’s appearance before the court on January 20 to address the allegations.
This development comes against the backdrop of increased scrutiny of electoral rolls and voter data integrity, particularly in light of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercises across Kerala.