Madras High Court raps Election Commission of India, refuses to gag media on oral observations

By LE Desk

Chennai, May 1: A day after questioning the Centre on its preparations over the last 10-15 months for tackling the second wave of Covid-19, the Madras High Court Friday refused to entertain a petition by the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking to restrain media from publishing the court’s oral observations blaming the poll body for the rise in Covid-19 cases.

Earlier on Monday, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy came down heavily on the ECI for “not stopping political parties from violating the Covid protocol” in their rallies for Assembly elections. It was hearing a petition by AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar which sought directions for the ECI to follow specific measures during counting on May 2 in his constituency Karur. As many as 77 candidates contested are in the fray for the Karur seat.

The court had told ECI on Monday that “you should be put on murder charges probably”, that “you are the most irresponsible over the last few months in not stopping political parties from wanton abuse of the Covid-19 protocol” and that “you are the only institution responsible for the situation that we are in today.”

On Friday, the ECI said these oral observations had caused it grave prejudice and that police complaints were being filed against it seeking action for criminal offence. Rejecting requests by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing ECI, to direct media houses to confine their reports to written orders and to refrain from reporting oral observations of judges during the court proceedings, the court said the Commission can anyway approach the courts “if any frivolous complaints are made”, The Indian Express reported.

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/madras-high-court-raps-election-commission-of-india-refuses-to-gag-media-on-oral-observations-7297388/