New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) The Congress has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the recent amendment to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, which restricts public access to election materials, such as CCTV footage, unless explicitly listed by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a post on social media platform ‘X’, senior party leader and General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that the Election Commission cannot be allowed to unilaterally amend the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules in such a brazen manner and without public consultation.
“A Writ has just been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. The Election Commission, a Constitutional body, charged with the conduct of free and fair elections cannot be allowed to unilaterally, and without public consultation, amend such a vital law in such a brazen manner,” announced Ramesh.
The Rajya Sabha MP added that the amendment, introduced on Saturday following recommendations from the ECI, does away with “public access to essential information that makes the electoral process more transparent and accountable”.
“The integrity of the electoral process is fast eroding. Hopefully the Supreme Court will help restore it,” he asserted.
The amendment was apparently seen as a reaction to a Punjab and Haryana High Court directive to provide CCTV footage of an election booth.
Earlier on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin strongly criticised the amendment and called it an undemocratic assault on free and fair elections.
In a post on X, Stalin said that democracy was facing its gravest threat under the BJP-led Union Government. Voicing his objections, he said: “Democracy is facing its gravest threat under the BJP-led Union Government, with the reckless amendment of Section 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules designed to undermine transparency in elections.”
Stalin added that the move undermines one of the Constitution’s fundamental features — transparency. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister called on all political parties, including those aligned with the Union Government, to unite against what he termed an undemocratic assault on free and fair elections.
–IANS
pds/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
