PLEA TO DEBAR CANDIDATES FOR NOT WEARING MASKS NOW INFRUCTUOUS: EC

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday told the Delhi High Court that since the assembly polls were over, the plea to debar campaigners and candidates from campaigning for repeatedly violating the mandatory guidelines, including wearing of masks, has become infructuous.

Without making any observation on poll panel’s contention, a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh, asked the ECI to file its reply to the petition and listed the matter for hearing on June 3.

The Centre, in its reply to the petition, has said that it had in March this year asked all state governments and union territories (UTs) to ensure compliance of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour in all gatherings.

The petition by Vikram Singh, the former DGP of Uttar Pradesh and also the chairman of think tank Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), was filed prior to the commencement of the assembly polls and had contended that despite the orders and guidelines of the Centre and EC, “election campaigning was going on in full swing, without any regard to the COVID-19 regulations”.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its affidavit filed through central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, has said that it has always made provisions in the guidelines issued to states and UTs under the Disaster Management Act 2005 for enforcement of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour and strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs).

THE HIGH COURT ASKED THE ECI TO FILE ITS REPLY TO THE PETITION AND LISTED THE MATTER FOR HEARING ON JUNE 3