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The Andhra Pradesh Pharmacy Council (APPC) election, conducted in December 2025, has now become a major legal and administrative crisis following an emergency complaint filed with the state’s chief secretary.
Dr. Singanamala Suman Modi has formally alleged that the entire process was systematically compromised to favour a specific panel of candidates, describing the elections as ‘void ab initio’ due to foundational failures occurring long before the first ballot was cast.
A primary allegation focuses on a severe breach of voter privacy involving the illegal printing of serial numbers directly on the ballot papers (Form-C). While statutory rules strictly mandate that serial numbers appear only on declaration forms (Form-D) to ensure anonymity, their presence on ballots allowed authorities to track individual votes. Critics argue this was a deliberate tactic to compromise the secret ballot and open the door for potential post-election victimization of pharmacists.
The physical integrity of the ballots has also been questioned due to glaring authentication discrepancies uncovered during counting. Reports indicate that security holograms varied significantly in size or were missing entirely, and many ballots lacked the mandatory facsimile signature of the returning officer. Despite initial segregation, these defective ballots were allegedly and unlawfully mixed back with valid ones to benefit the winning candidates.
Administrative failures form a significant part of the challenge, specifically the Council's failure to maintain a legally compliant ‘First Register’ for over 50 years. By allegedly ignoring the mandated annual renewal process in favour of an unauthorized five-year cycle, the Council reportedly allowed thousands of bogus or ineligible names onto the 2025 electoral roll. This lapse resulted in multiple registrations and the issuance of several ballots to single individuals, further diluting the legitimacy of the franchise.
Intentional manipulation is further alleged through the withholding of voter mobile numbers from the postal department, rendering individual ballots nearly untraceable. This lack of transparency is believed to have facilitated the ‘bulk illegal posting’ of ballots. Statistics show that while only 9,000 ballots were received by December 21st, an additional 13,000 arrived in the final three days alone. This sudden surge suspiciously matched the number of illegal renewals granted under an unauthorized memo earlier that year.
The security environment at the counting centre was described as virtually non-existent when ballot trunks arrived on December 27. Witnesses documented that the trunk boxes were brought in without official wax seals, authenticated signatures, or valid security markings. A shocking security breach later surfaced when a winning candidate, one Rambabu, reportedly displayed an original postal ballot on his WhatsApp status, raising urgent questions about how a private individual gained possession of a secured statutory document.
Further allegations suggest the counting process itself was hijacked by ineligible personnel to bypass rigorous verification of signatures. Instead of utilizing mandated scrutinizing officers of deputy civil surgeon rank, the task was delegated to revenue officials and private college staff. Following the count, the Council failed to release an official bulletin detailing the total valid or rejected votes, choosing instead to announce winners via informal WhatsApp groups.
In response to these pervasive irregularities, the Confederation has demanded an independent inquiry under Section 24 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948, along with a forensic examination of all election materials. The representation seeks the immediate annulment of the results and the commencement of fresh elections conducted strictly under the Andhra Pradesh Pharmacy Council Rules, 1955. As the state government reviews the complaint, legal experts warn that these findings represent a significant blow to the democratic values of statutory professional bodies.
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