Election Commission Moves SC Over Madras High Court Remarks

The Election Commission of India on Saturday moved the Supreme Court over Madras High Court’s remarks on allowing elections amid a raging second wave of Coronavirus in the country.

The ECI has termed the remarks as “blatantly disparaging”.

The Madras High Court on April 26 had condemned the Election Commission of India for allowing political parties to carry on with rallies even as the country is battling Covid-19. 

The Madras High Court bench had said, "Election Commission officers should be booked on murder charges probably.”

The bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy had made the remarks while it was hearing a petition raising concerns over whether adequate facilities are in place to ensure Covid-19 protocol during vote counting at the Karur constituency.

The poll panel's appeal against the high court's refusal to entertain its petition opposing the critical remarks will be heard by a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud on Monday.

"We have filed an appeal against the high court orders," the counsel for the EC, Amit Sharma, told.

(More details awaited.)