The Supreme Court of India, in its sitting on Wednesday, ordered the Union government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to fill a response to a petition filed by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. The petition also aims to question recent changes to the Conduct of Election Rules, referring to a lack of transparency and accountability in the electoral process. The bench, headed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, issued notice to both Union government and ECI, and posted the matter to the week starting March 17.
In his petition, Ramesh condemned the amendments, saying they were initiated with the intention of being concealed from the public, especially with reference to key election documents. He noted his disagreement with the reasons provided by the government for these alterations – saying that the government claimed that releasing the said information may infringe on the right of voters to vote anonymously. Ramesh’s legal team, including Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi & Advocate Kapil Sibal, argued that these amendments would lower the key election data’s public visibility and consequently chip away at the electoral process [].
Sibal also particularly named Form 17A and Form 17C of Conduct of Election Rules, which states that the ECI has to maintain forms relating to the number of electors and votes cast, etc. He claimed these forms remain essential for ensuring the integrity of the elections as well as voters’ accountability: the recent changes can hinder this crucial process.
The Congress leader had earlier moved the petition last month soon after the utterances of the amendments, saying that it would tamper with the probity of the electoral process. Ramesh has condemned these changes for reducing access to information, a factor he says undermines the public’s confidence in the election process. That the Supreme Court issued notices shows the seriousness of the case whereas the coming hearings will probably delve deeper into the effects of these amendments on electoral transparency.
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