Madras High Court Slams Election Commission Over Conducting Polls During Covid-19 Second Wave

The Election Commission is singularly responsible for the second wave of Covid-19 & should probably be booked for murder, the Madras High Court observed on April 26. This is the sharpest criticism yet of crowded campaigns for the five state polls that continued in the middle of raging virus cases. The court has threatened to stop the counting of votes on May 2 if a "blueprint" is not in place. The election body had failed to enforce Covid-19 safety rules like masks, sanitisers & distancing during campaigning despite court orders, said the High Court. "Were you on another planet when the election rallies were held," Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee questioned. The High Court also asked for a plan to enforce Covid-19 rules on May 2, the day of the results, by April 30. Without it, the counting could also be stopped, said the High Court. Covid-19 cases have exploded alongside elections held in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam & Puducherry. On April 26, India reported 3.52 lakh cases & 2,812 deaths in 24 hours, another grim record.