‘SEC already doing videography’: HC disposes of Warring petition

“In view of the above, the prayer made in this petition appears to have been satisfied for the time being, and therefore the cause raised has become infructuous,” the Chief Justice said, disposing of the petition without examining its merits.

The court took on record the Election Commission’s instructions governing videography and preservation of the counting process for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, polling for which was held on December 14.

Warring had approached the high court through advocate Nikhil Ghai seeking directions to the State Election Commission to record and preserve videography of the entire counting process across Punjab, citing apprehensions of irregularities during counting of paper ballots.

The PIL did not challenge any specific election result but sought preventive safeguards to ensure transparency and accountability in the counting of votes for Punjab’s Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections scheduled for December 17.

The petition argued that the absence of mandatory videography during counting made the process opaque and vulnerable to manipulation, particularly as the elections were conducted through paper ballots. It contended that counting is the most sensitive and determinative stage of elections and requires heightened transparency to uphold public confidence in grassroots democracy.