Joginis Struggle With SIR Forms: Electoral Roll SIR Forms Create Confusion Among Telangana Joginis

Joginis Struggle With SIR Forms: Thousands of Jogini women in Telangana are facing difficulties while completing forms for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The primary challenge involves providing details related to spouses, guardians and family identity, leading to confusion among applicants and election officials.

Social activists say many Joginis, who have lived as single women under the now banned traditional system, do not have legally recognized marital records. As a result, many are uncertain about whose name should be entered in the required sections of the electoral forms.

The issue has also created uncertainty for Booth Level Officers responsible for verifying applications. Activists have urged district authorities to provide clear instructions and train field staff so that eligible women are not excluded from the voter registration process or government welfare schemes.

In several cases, Joginis have used the names of their mothers, grandfathers or traditional guardians in official records. Community representatives say inconsistent documentation over the years has complicated the verification process and highlighted the need for uniform guidelines.

The Jogini system, which has been prohibited for years, mainly affected women from Scheduled Castes and some Backward Classes communities. Many women dedicated under the practice experienced lifelong social discrimination and economic hardship, while their children often lacked officially recognized parental records.

Community organizations have appealed to the State Election Commission to issue special instructions for handling applications from Jogini families. They believe a clear policy will ensure that genuine beneficiaries are not denied voting rights or access to welfare benefits because of documentation issues.