The Supreme Court has provided relief to psephologist Sanjay Kumar by staying the FIRs filed against him amidst a controversy over errors in his analysis of Maharashtra voter data. Kumar had earlier apologized for tweets that incorrectly flagged significant changes in voter lists in Maharashtra.

The issue began when Kumar, a faculty member at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), posted data on X (formerly Twitter) claiming substantial increases and decreases in voter numbers in certain Maharashtra Assembly segments between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the state assembly polls. Specifically, he stated that the number of voters in Nashik West and Hingna Assembly segments rose by 47% and 43% respectively. These claims were quickly picked up by the opposition Congress party, which has been alleging "vote theft" and accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of complicity.

However, it was soon pointed out that Kumar's data was erroneous, as his team had compared figures from different constituencies. For example, in the Ramtek example, the figure he cited was actually the total number of voters in the nearby Kamthi assembly segment. Following these corrections, Kumar deleted his tweets and issued an apology, stating that the error occurred due to a misreading of data by his team and that he had no intention of spreading misinformation.

Despite the apology, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted strongly, accusing CSDS of disseminating unverified data to support the Congress's narrative. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), a government-run research body that provides funding to CSDS, issued a show-cause notice to the institution, alleging data manipulation and an attempt to undermine the sanctity of the Election Commission. The ICSSR also raised concerns about alleged administrative and financial irregularities at CSDS.

Adding to Kumar's troubles, FIRs were filed against him by police in Nashik and Nagpur for allegedly spreading false claims. It was these FIRs that led Kumar to approach the Supreme Court for relief.

During the Supreme Court hearing, Kumar's counsel emphasized his impeccable integrity and three decades of service, describing the incident as a mistake for which he had apologized publicly. The Chief Justice of India acknowledged the argument and put a stop to the legal proceedings.

The controversy has raised concerns about the pressures faced by academics and researchers in the current political climate. Some observers have noted that the swift and strong reaction to Kumar's error, including the filing of FIRs and the show-cause notice to CSDS, sends a chilling message to those who might publish findings that are inconvenient to the government. It also deflected attention from discrepancies in voter lists in other states.