August 27, 2025

New Delhi is abuzz with a fiery legal drama! The Supreme Court stepped in on Monday to stop Maharashtra Police from moving forward with two FIRs against psephologist Sanjay Kumar. The trouble began with Kumar's social media posts on August 17, where he claimed that voter numbers in some Maharashtra constituencies had strangely gone up or down. But the very next day, realizing something was off, he pulled down the posts and issued an apology. Known as a "reputed and respected intellectual," Sanjay Kumar has shaped conversations about India's democracy through his books and detailed surveys. His lawyers told the court that the posts were based on research by his team, but a "technical error on the part of an associate" messed up the data rows. This glitch wrongly showed changes in voter lists that weren't true. Acknowledging the mistake, Kumar quickly deleted the posts and explained how the error happened. The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice N V Anjaria, noted the swift correction and paused the FIR proceedings. The bench also said, "Normally we would not have entertained such a petition," signaling the unusual nature of the case. Kumar is now fighting to have the FIRs lodged against him at Nashik and Nagpur quashed. Despite his apology and clear regret, Maharashtra Police, backed by the Election Commission, filed FIRs under various Bengaluru Nyay Sanhita (BNS) provisions. His lawyer called this a "clear misuse of the process of law," saying the allegations have no solid ground and the charges don't fit the case. Going full throttle, Kumar accused the Maharashtra government of launching a "disproportionate aggression" against him. He claims the state is trying to bully him by filing multiple FIRs and using harsh tactics, all after he admitted a genuine mistake. He isn't just aiming to cancel these two FIRs; Kumar wants the court to stop any and all future FIRs arising from those deleted posts that might pop up anywhere in India. It’s a classic David versus Goliath battle between a respected analyst and the police machinery. What happens next could send ripples across political and social media circles!

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Tags: Sanjay kumar, Supreme court, Maharashtra police, Fir, Voter data, Social media controversy,