EC moves SC against Madras HC’s ‘murder charge’ remarks

EC moves SC against Madras HC’s ‘murder charge’ remarks

Observations Made By HC Uncalled For: EC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:02.05.2021

Smarting at being lambasted by Madras high court which observed that Election Commission “should be put up on murder charges” for failure to maintain Covid protocol during election campaigns, the commission has moved the Supreme Court against HC for making derogatory remarks against the poll watchdog.

The commission submitted observations made by the high court were “uncalled for, blatantly disparaging and derogatory”. It said the HC should not have passed such remarks against a constitutional body, reflecting its sense the remarks were over the top and lacked a sense of proportion.

In an appeal filed against the HC order, the commission said the Madras high court being an independent constitutional authority made “serious allegations of murder on another independent constitutional authority without any basis, which has ultimately dented both the institutions.”

The HC on Monday came down heavily on the EC for not enforcing Covid-19 protocol during poll campaigning for assembly elections and blamed the panel for the spread of pandemic during election time.

“You (ECI) are the only institution responsible for the situation that we are in today. You have been singularly lacking any kind of exercise of authority…You have not taken measures against political parties holding rallies despite every order of this court saying ‘maintain Covid protocol, maintain Covid protocol’ like a broken record,” the HC had said.

HC made the observations while hearing a public interest writ petition filed by Tamil Nadu transport minister M R Vijayabhaskar, who is AIADMK’s candidate in Karur constituency where 77 candidates are in the fray. He had sought directions to the ECI to follow measures aimed at ensuring fairness in the counting of votes on May 2 when Covid protocols will be in place.

“The significance of adhering to such protocol may have been lost on the EC going by the puerile silence on the part of the commission as campaigns and rallies were conducted without distancing norms being maintained and in wanton disregard of the other items of the protocol,” the court had said.

Election commission said the Madras HC being an independent constitutional authority made “serious allegations of murder on another independent constitutional authority without any basis, which has ultimately dented both the institutions”