Chennai, April 26: The Madras High Court on Monday came down hard on the Election Commission and called it the "the most irresponsible institution" for the alleged spread of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country. In stinging remarks, the court said EC officials may be booked under murder charges too.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the observation on a public interest writ, seeking for a direction to authorities to ensure fair counting of votes on May 2 in Karur by taking effective steps and proper arrangements with Covid-19 protocols.

Since as many as 77 candidates are contesting in the Karur constituency, it would be very difficult to accommodate their agents in the counting hall. It may affect observance of the protocols, the petitioner alleged. India Reports Highest Single-Day Jump of 3.52 Lakh New COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours, Tally Crosses 1.73 Crore.

When the counsel for the EC told the judges that all necessary steps were underway, the bench retorted that by allowing the political parties to take out rallies and meetings, it had paved the way for the resurgence of the second wave of Covid-19. The judges also orally warned that they would not hesitate to stop the counting of votes on May 2.