Padma Shri Awardee Harekala Hajabba Gets SIR Notice Over Name Discrepancy
Election officials issue notice after Hajabba's name differs between the 2002 voter roll and his current identity documents.
Padma Shri awardee and education activist Harekala Hajabba was issued a notice by election officials during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka over a discrepancy in his name, officials said.
Hajabba's name reportedly appeared as “Hajabba” in the 2002 electoral roll, while his current documents, including his Aadhaar card, ration card, passport and voter ID, carry the name “Harekala Hajabba”.
The discrepancy was flagged during the verification of electoral records, following which officials issued a notice asking Hajabba to appear before the gram panchayat on September 11 with his original documents to establish his identity and clarify the mismatch.
The notice was delivered to Hajabba by an Anganwadi worker. Hajabba said he was confident that the issue would be resolved after verification of his documents.
Election officials later visited his residence after realising that the notice had been issued to the well-known Padma Shri awardee because of the name discrepancy. They collected the required documents and subsequently withdrew the notice, according to reports.
Hajabba, a former fruit seller from Harekala village near Mangaluru, became widely recognised for his contribution to education. Despite limited financial means, he used his earnings from selling oranges to establish a school in his native village, helping children from economically disadvantaged families access education.
His efforts earned him the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, in 2020 for his contribution to social work and education.
The incident has drawn attention amid Karnataka's ongoing SIR exercise, under which electoral records are being scrutinised to identify discrepancies and verify voter details.
The episode also highlights the difficulties that can arise from differences between older electoral records and the names appearing on citizens' current identity documents. Officials are carrying out the verification process across the state as part of the revision of electoral rolls.
