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Journalism of Courage
Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy today declined to comment on the Patna High Court8217;s direction to the Election Commission to consider countermanding the polls in constituencies where prisoners had entered the fray.
8216;8216;We have not received any copy of the high court judgement and I don8217;t want to make any comments on it,8217;8217; Krishnamurthy told reporters at the Raj Bhavan here. The CEC, however, said that the Commission would be happy if 8216;criminal elements8217; were barred from contesting elections.
The People8217;s Representation Act does not have a provision to prevent criminals or history-sheeters from contesting elections. But, there is provision that bars prisoners from casting their votes.
A division bench of the Patna High Court comprising Chief Justice Ravi S. Dhawan and Justice Shashank Kumar Singh passed the order on two PILs during the day seeking disqualification of those who had entered the poll fray from jail and whose voting rights were suspended by election laws.
The bench also ordered the Commission to consider countermanding elections in the constituencies where proclaimed absconders had cast their vote.
8216;8216;The EC should act and act with speed and take a decision on these issues before the declaration of poll results,8217;8217; the bench observed.
A host of alleged history-sheeters, including RJD strongman Mohammed Shahabuddin, LJP general secretary Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Independent MLA Rajan Tiwary and leader of the banned Ranvir Sena, Brahmeshwar Singh are contesting the elections from behind the bars.
The court was hearing two PILs clubbed together. The first one was filed by an NGO People8217;s Watch seeking disqualification of prisoners, whose voting rights are suspended by Article 62 5 of Representation of People8217;s Act, 1951, who had entered the fray. The second PIL was filed by Om Prakash Yadav, JDU nominee from Siwan, who had sought disqualification of his RJD rival Mohammed Shahabuddin for running his campaign from a hospital despite being in judicial custody.
