The Supreme Court on Monday stayed FIRs filed against psephologist Sanjay Kumar in connection with incorrect claims he made regarding Maharashtra’s election data.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice NV Anjaria granted the stay after Kumar’s counsel highlighted that he is a respected professional with 30 years of experience, who publicly apologised and removed the erroneous content. The court also issued notice to the State of Maharashtra, seeking their response to Kumar’s plea, according to news agency ANI. 

On August 17, Kumar, in a post on X, claimed that there are increases and decreases in the number of voters in specific constituencies. However, he subsequently apologised by making another tweet admitting that his earlier post was made on an erroneous analysis.