EC moves SC against Madras HCs 'murder charge' remarks

NEW DELHI: After being lambasted by Madras high court which had observed that Election Commission “should be put up on murder charges" for failure to maintain Covid protocol during election campaigns, the poll panel has moved the Supreme Court against HC for making "derogatory remarks" against it.


The commission submitted that the observations made by the

High Court

were "uncalled for, blatantly disparaging and derogatory". It said that HC should not have passed such remarks against a constitutional body.



In an appeal filed against HC order, the commission said that the Madras High Court being an independent constitutional authority made "serious allegations of murder on another independent constitutional authority without any basis, which has ultimately dented both the institutions."

The HC on Monday came down heavily on the election commission for not enforcing Covid-19 protocol during poll campaigning for assembly election by politicians and blamed the panel for the spread of pandemic in the election time.

“You (ECI) are the only institution responsible for the situation that we are in today. You have been singularly lacking any kind of exercise of authority…You have not taken measures against political parties holding rallies despite every order of this court saying ‘maintain Covid protocol, maintain Covid protocol’ like a broken record,” the HC had said.

HC made the observations while hearing a public interest writ petition filed by Tamil Nadu transport minister M R Vijayabhaskar, who is AIADMK’s candidate in Karur constituency where 77 candidates are in the fray. He had sought directions to the ECI to follow measures aimed at ensuring fairness in the counting of votes on May 2.

“The significance of adhering to such protocol may have been lost on the EC going by the puerile silence on the part of the commission as campaigns and rallies were conducted without distancing norms being maintained and in wanton disregard of the other items of the protocol," the court had said.

“Public health is of paramount importance and it is distressing that constitutional authorities have to be reminded in such regard. It is only when citizens survive that they enjoy the other rights that this democratic republic guarantees unto them. The situation is now one of survival and protection and, everything else comes thereafter,” the court had said.