Padma Shri Awardee and renowned educationist Harekala Hajabba was issued a notice in connection with Karnataka's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after officials found a discrepancy between his name in the voter list and his official documents. Within a few hours, officials said they noticed the issue and withdrew the notice after they visited his house and verified the documents.
The incident happened in Dakshina Kannada, and it was widely publicised because Hajabba has Padma Shri and is known for his contributions to education. He was served with the notice on Monday morning, September 7, as part of the electoral rolls verification exercise of Karnataka.
Name Mismatch Triggered SIR Notice
Hajabba’s name appeared differently in the 2002 electoral roll compared to his current identification documents. In the old voter list, he was listed simply as “Hajabba,” while his Aadhaar card, ration card, passport, and current voter ID reportedly have the name “Harekala Hajabba.”
The discrepancy apparently resulted in his record being flagged during the SIR verification process. After this, a notice was sent to the concerned election authorities asking him to appear before them with original documents to prove that the records refer to the same person.
According to reports, he was asked to appear at the gram panchayat and provide the documents on September 11. Hajabba had said he would cooperate with the verification process and submit the required records.
Officials Visit Hajabba's Residence
The situation changed further the same day after officials discussed the matter. Hajabba did not go to the election office, but local officials, the tahsildar and village-level leaders visited his residence.
The officials studied the documents and withdrew the notice. It is reported that the discrepancy was treated as an administrative or documentation mismatch instead of an issue that merits further action against Hajabba.
A local official admitted that the notice was issued due to an oversight. The Padma Shri awardee suffered inconvenience, officials also said.
Who is Harekala Hajabba?
Harekala Hajabba has been widely known for fighting for education in the native village of Dakshina Kannada. A former orange seller, Hajabba put his little money and years of labour into his dream of starting a school for children in his village.
His educational initiative began in the 1990s and culminated in a school in Harekala. The school was then expanded into a pre-university college, and that is a great example of grassroots education activism.
Hajabba was awarded Padma Shri in 2020, the highest civilian award in India, for his contributions to education and social service. He has moved from selling oranges to becoming a nationally recognised educationist and has inspired people in Karnataka and beyond.
SIR Process Underway Across Karnataka
The incident took place during Karnataka's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The exercise is to clean up voter records and address discrepancies before the electoral rolls are published.
The Election Commission has been checking voter details, and discrepancies between older electoral records and newer identity documents can result in notices being issued to voters for clarification. Hajabba’s case illustrates how differences in the way names were recorded in older electoral rolls can trigger such verification.
Although the notice attracted considerable attention because Hajabba's public profile has been very high, officials responded quickly to resolve the problem after seeing that there was a mismatch.
The withdrawal of that notice means Hajabba will not have to appear again for the same reason. The authorities have said that any necessary corrections and verification will be done at the official level.
The episode has also highlighted the significance of accurate voter records and proper verification when the electoral roll revision process is done. Hajabba said what appeared to be a surprise notice was resolved within hours after officials reviewed his documents and corrected the discrepancy.
