Ensure one person, one vote in Kerala, HC tells EC

KOCHI: The Kerala high court on Monday ordered the Election Commission of India to ensure that there is no double voting by any voter in the state assembly election.


A division bench of Chief Justice

S Manikumar

and Justice Shaji P Chaly gave the directive on a petition filed by opposition leader

Ramesh Chennithala

through advocate T Asaf Ali.

After perusing details of multiple entries in the list produced by the petitioner, the court said it is of the prima facie view that there are discrepancies in the final voters’ list published by the election commission. The presence of multiple entries will facilitate a person to vote twice, which is not permissible in law, it said. Election commission’s counsel Deepu Lal Mohan submitted that efforts are being taken to find multiple entries in the voters’ list. The court, however, said it is of the view that a voter should be permitted to cast only one vote, wherever his name is registered.

“Accordingly, we direct and make it clear that the Election Commission of India should ensure that there is no double voting by any voter. Election Commission should also ensure that sufficient State/Central force is posted at all voting places, to ensure fair and democratic election. To implement the above, steps should be taken on a war footing basis,” the order said.


There shouldn’t be any room for complaint: HC

Further, the court said, “All possible steps should be taken to ensure that there is no double voting. Orders of this Court should be implemented in letter and spirit, without any room for complaint.”

It also ordered the election commission to file a counter affidavit by Tuesday, with supporting documents.

The petition had alleged that there are multiple entries of voters in the list. It said 3,24,441 double votes and1,09,601 bogus votes were found across131 assembly constituencies in the final electoral roll published on January 20 but the election commission was not taking any action on it.

Reacting to the interim order, Ramesh said the election commission should not have waited for someone to find the discrepancies. He said it took months to analyse the list and that is why he flagged the discrepancies at the eleventh hour.

He alleged that the LDF had won the local body elections also with a rigged voters’ list. "The CPM workers are behind this and it is done with the knowledge of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan," he said.

CPM politburo member M A Baby, meanwhile, welcomed the order, saying the election commission should take immediate measures to ensure free and fair polls. BJP state general secretary George Kurian said the party wanted the election commission to follow the HC instructions in letter and spirit.