The Supreme Court on Friday refused to issue directives to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding a plea for the immediate disclosure of authenticated voter turnout records, emphasizing the need for a ?hands-off approach? while the Lok Sabha elections are in progress.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma underscored the potential consequences of judicial interference during an active election period, stating that such actions could disrupt ongoing procedures.
?We can?t interrupt something that?s already underway? In between elections, a hands-off approach has to be taken. Let the application be heard along with the main writ petition. We cannot interrupt the process. Let us have some trust in the authority,? the bench remarked. This statement was made while deferring the plea by the non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which sought the immediate publication of booth-wise absolute voter turnout numbers on the ECI website. A similar petition by former Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Mahua Moitra, a candidate from the Krishnanagar seat in West Bengal, was also listed along with ADR?s plea.
The bench, acknowledging submissions by senior counsel Maninder Singh, who represented the ECI, noted that the plea was moved after the election process had already begun. The justices highlighted that, according to settled judicial precedents, addressing such concerns during the election process would not be prudent.
