Provide adequate time to staff engaged in poll works to cast votes: HC

The Madras HC on Wednesday directed the Election Commission to ensure that govt staff and teachers engaged in election works are provided adequate time to exercise their votes through postal ballot

The Madras High Court on

Wednesday directed the Election Commission to ensure that government staff and teachers engaged in election works are provided adequate time to exercise their votes through postal ballot.

Single phase polls to 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu are scheduled on April 6.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthil Kumar Ramamurthy gave a direction to this effect, while disposing of a PIL from Dr A Mayavan, founder-president of the Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary Schools Graduate Teachers Association.

Observing that the officials engaged in the election work should not be deprived of their democratic right of voting, the judges directed the EC to achieve its motto of 100 per cent polling and keep absenteeism at minimum level.

The petitioner sought a direction to the EC to consider his January 30 representation this year, preferred under Sec. 20A of the Representation of the People Act and issue orders to authorities concerned to facilitate requisite number of polling stations in their respective constituencies at least three days prior to the polling date (April 6).