In order to hold the above mentioned bye-elections, the Commission had directed a special revision of the electoral rolls of these constituencies with reference to 01/01/2002 as the qualifying date. According to the programme for the revision of these rolls the final publication of these rolls after the completion of the revision process was scheduled to take place on 12/01/2002. However, the Commission received several complaints in regard to the process of the revision underway in these constituencies. The Commission deputed its Secretary Shri K.J. Rao for on-the-spot enquiry into the above mentioned complaints. The Enquiry Officer has found that the process of revision in Saidapet and Vaniyambadi is not proceeding in accordance with law and the prescribed procedures. Large-scale inclusions and deletions are being made in the electoral rolls of these two constituencies without following the prescribed procedures and without notice to the affected persons in violation of the Supreme Court’s directions on the subject in the case of Lal Babu Hussain Vs. Electoral Registration Officers & Others (1995 (3) SSC P 100) and also of the Election Commission. On the basis of this enquiry report, the Commission has directed the Electoral Registration Officers of these two constituencies not to publish the electoral rolls finally on 12/01/2002 as scheduled because further remedial action is needed to prepare neat and clean electoral rolls of these constituencies. Consequently, the Commission has also decided that the bye-elections scheduled to be notified on 17/01/2002 from these two constituencies viz. Saidapet and Vaniyambadi will also be postponed and will be notified later on after the electoral rolls of these two constituencies have been revised satisfactorily ensuring that as far as possible all eligible names have been brought on the rolls and all ineligible names excluded therefrom.

    The bye-election from 135 Andipatti Assembly Constituency will, however, be held as scheduled and the notification calling the bye-election from this constituency will be issued on 17/01/2002 as per the schedule already announced. The electoral roll for this constituency has already been finally published on 12/01/2002 after the completion of the revision process in that constituency.