Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the state Election commission ,secondsTo install CCTV cameras for the upcoming municipal elections.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj said: “…we direct that the State Election Commission shall take steps to install CCTV cameras at specific locations in all the main and auxiliary booths across the State to maintain transparency. and fairness and will preserve the CCTV footage so that it can be sent for audit if required.”
Taking cognizance of the petitions alleging violence and coercion during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections on December 19, the bench directed the commission to preserve the footage of CCTV cameras from all the booths in the city. It also asked the Election Commission to preserve the presiding officers’ diaries, registers containing thumb impressions/signatures of voters, control units of EVMs and polling records of all booths in a sealed cover.
The division bench directed the petitioners to file their objections to the SEC compliance report and the affidavit by the state, before the court hears the matter on January 6. Bengal Advocate General SN Mukherjee submitted the other day that a writ court has no jurisdiction to hear such petitions unless they are filed as election petitions.
The bench took note of the submission of a provisional deadline by the SEC for holding elections in 111 municipal bodies in two phases on January 22 and February 27 and submitted by Advocate General Mukherjee that the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 received Was. Governor’s approval
A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj said: “…we direct that the State Election Commission shall take steps to install CCTV cameras at specific locations in all the main and auxiliary booths across the State to maintain transparency. and fairness and will preserve the CCTV footage so that it can be sent for audit if required.”
Taking cognizance of the petitions alleging violence and coercion during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections on December 19, the bench directed the commission to preserve the footage of CCTV cameras from all the booths in the city. It also asked the Election Commission to preserve the presiding officers’ diaries, registers containing thumb impressions/signatures of voters, control units of EVMs and polling records of all booths in a sealed cover.
The division bench directed the petitioners to file their objections to the SEC compliance report and the affidavit by the state, before the court hears the matter on January 6. Bengal Advocate General SN Mukherjee submitted the other day that a writ court has no jurisdiction to hear such petitions unless they are filed as election petitions.
The bench took note of the submission of a provisional deadline by the SEC for holding elections in 111 municipal bodies in two phases on January 22 and February 27 and submitted by Advocate General Mukherjee that the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 received Was. Governor’s approval
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