Madras High Court
Chennai: The Madras High Court today slammed the Election Commission of India for its negligence in abiding by pandemic norms that has resulted in resurfacing of the epidemic. It said, “Public health is of paramount importance … distressing that Constitutional authorities have to be reminded … It is only when the citizen survives that he enjoys the other rights … The situation is now one of survival .. and everything else comes second.”
In response to a public interest litigation filled in connection with the facilities made available in the Karur constituency from Tamil Nadu, the bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy stated that the Election Commission officers can probably be booked for murder on the count of permitting election rallies to be held, sans the use of sanitisers and face masks, besides failure to conform to social distancing norms. Said the Chief Justice: “You are the only institution that is responsible for the situation today. Your election commission should be out up on murder charges probably.”
यह भी पढ़ें : मद्रास उच्च न्यायालय के निर्णय दर्शाता है कि देश भयावह संकट के दौर में है
Furthermore, the court charged the Election Commission with being singularly responsible for the second wave of the pandemic getting unleashed on the country. Observing that survival and protection should be the prime concerns above all else, the court has ordered the Election Commission to submit a detailed blueprint on the safety norms that will be in place for the counting of votes that is slated to take place on May 2.
The court also warned that the proceedings will be halted in case the blueprint was found to be unsatisfactory, and requisitioned the EC to submit the blueprint on April 30. The first bench of the court queried, On which planet were you when these rallies took place devoid of the stipulated safety norms.
