ADEO Pommala Sunil Kumar, in a statement, said that the “BLO, without serving any notice to him, rightfully recommended (the case) for final approval to the Additional Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) appointed for the purpose. On September 8, 2026, the AERO approved the record for addition in the final roll.”
However, the list made public by the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) continues to carry Prof. Rao’s name under the notice category as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
While notices are generated by the system wherever a discrepancy is detected, until The Hindu reported about this case, there had been no communication from the CEO’s office that the names of VIPs or other prominent persons would be removed from the notice list and added directly to the final rolls, or that their hearings would be conducted at their convenience or at their residences.
The report stated that a notice had been served against Prof. Rao’s name based on the official list published by the Karnataka CEO. The ECI has since clarified that the notice was not physically delivered to him. The report, however, never stated that Prof. Rao had received the notice.
The ADEO statement also included photographs to establish that an enumeration form had been given at Prof. Rao’s residence. However, as per the SIR process, a notice is generated only after an enumeration form has been submitted and a discrepancy is identified following the publication of the draft roll. The report makes no claims about status of the enumeration form.