SC for AG and SG’s views on PIL for changing image with title, qualification of candidates on EVMs
2 min read The Supreme Court on Friday sought to know the views of the legal professional normal and the solicitor normal on a PIL which sought a path to the Election Commission to take away symbols from poll and EVMs and change them with ‘name, age, educational qualification and photograph’ of candidates.
A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, with out issuing any formal discover to the Centre and the ECI, requested petitioner BJP chief and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay to serve a duplicate of his petition to Attorney General KK Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
“You serve the copy to the AG and SG and then we will see. We are not issuing notice at the moment,” the bench stated and listed the matter for additional listening to subsequent week.
During the transient listening to, the bench requested senior advocate Vikas Singh, showing for Upadhyay, that it desires to know what the objections are to the election image on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Singh stated that they’ve written a letter to Election Commission however haven’t acquired any response.
He stated that the petitioner desires these particulars on EVMs to determine how well-liked is the candidate.
Singh additional stated that he has checked up in Brazil the place one simply will get numbers to contest and no symbols.
The bench once more requested Singh how does a ballot image prejudice the digital voting course of in any manner and Singh replied that he would clarify the idea on the subsequent date of listening to.
The plea filed by Upadhyay has additionally sought instructions to declare using social gathering image on EVM unlawful, unconstitutional and violative of the Constitution.
It stated that the very best answer to weed corruption and criminalisation in politics is to switch political social gathering symbols on poll and EVM with title, age, instructional qualification and {photograph} of the candidates.
The petition additional stated that poll and EVM, with out political social gathering symbols, have many advantages as it should assist electors to vote and assist clever, diligent and trustworthy candidates.
“Ballot and EVMs, without political party symbol, will control dictatorship of political party bosses in ticket distribution and force them to give ticket to those who religiously work for people’s welfare,” the plea has stated.
Referring to a examine finished by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-government organisation working in electoral reforms, the plea stated that out of 539 MPs, 233 (43 per cent) have declared prison circumstances towards themselves.
“Out of 542 winners analysed after 2014 election, 185 (34 per cent) had declared prison circumstances towards themselves and out of 543 winners analysed after 2009 Lok Sabha election, 162 (30 per cent) had declared prison circumstances towards themselves.
“There is an increase of 44 per cent in the number of Lok Sabha MPs with declared criminal cases against themselves since 2009, and the root cause of this bizarre situation is the use of political party symbol on ballot paper and EVM,” the plea stated.
