Plea in HC to amend election rules on using same pen to cast vote

A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court challenging the election rules under which only an instrument given by the Election Commission is to be used for marking ballots to cast vote.

The petition, which contended that these provisions could be misused and should be amended, is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao.

The petition filed by advocate Amit Sahni claimed that the Election Commission (EC) provides a common instrument or article, i.e. pen, to voters for marking ballot paper which could be easily replaced.

Weightage is required to be given to the intention of the person casting vote and not on the instrument viz ink of pen, which could be replaced at the behest of any candidate, the plea sad.

Citing an instance of "misuse" of such provisions of Conduct of Elections Rule 1961, he alleged that in the 2016 elections to Rajya Sabha in Haryana for two seats, the pen given by the EC was changed leading to change of the verdict.

In the 2016 polls, a row had erupted after votes of 12 MLAs of Congress and allies were declared invalid for marking their preferences with a pen other than the one officially supplied, prompting the Congress to allege foul play.

This led to the defeat of R K Anand, who was backed by Congress, and victory of Independent candidate Subhash Chandra.

The plea said, "The Rules 39(2) (b), Rule 70 and Rule 73 (2)(e) of the Conduct of Elections Rule 1961 are vulnerable.

"They can be misused by any candidate contesting election as is evident from the incident of Haryana Elections held in June 2016, where the ECI itself considered to be a case, which required criminal investigation and directed FIR to be lodged against several persons apart from disciplinary enquiry against R K Nandal, Secretary of Haryana Assembly, who was also returning officer for Rajya Sabha election, for lack of supervisory control and negligence."