"Counting Can't Become Catalyst For Covid Surge": Madras High Court To Election Commission

The Election Commission could not ensure that political parties adhered to Covid protocol during their campaign for the state elections, said the High Court.

Hours after its comment that the Election Commission "should probably be booked for murder" for not stopping political rallies for the state elections amid a Covid spike, the Madras High Court said in its order that "at no cost can counting become a catalyst for a further surge". The order, though milder compared to the rebuke in the morning, accuses the election body of "wanton disregard" and "silence" on campaigns carried out without distancing and other safety rules. The Election Commission could not ensure that political parties adhered to Covid protocol during their campaign for the state elections, said the High Court. "Despite court's repeated orders like a broken record Covid protocol significance may have been lost on the Election Commission. Public health is of paramount importance and it is distressing that constitutional authorities have to be reminded in such regard," the court said in its order. Counting should take place only with adherence to sanitisation, hygiene, masks and distancing norms, the Madras High Court ruled.