UP Panchayat Election Counting: Supreme Court allows counting of UP Panchayat elections, ban on the victory celebration

The Supreme Court of the country, ie the Supreme Court, has refused to ban or further the counting of votes for the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat elections to be held on Sunday. Because of the fast-growing cases of Coronavirus infection, a petition was filed in the court seeking a stay on the counting of votes. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking to stop this counting of votes. Which was heard today. The counting of panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh is also on May 2.

The Supreme Court has given its verdict while hearing a petition to stop the counting of panchayat elections because of Corona in Uttar Pradesh. The Supreme Court has allowed the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat elections to be counted but has banned celebrations after the victory. The Supreme Court has said in its order that we have taken note of the statements made by the State Election Commission. We do not consider the need to interfere in the order of the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court said that the protocol laid before we should be fully followed. There should be a strict curfew outside the counting center and no victory rally should be taken out.

On the plea of ​​Kanhaiya Lal, the village head of Hathras, a bench of Justice Harishkesh Rao along with Supreme Court Justice AM Khanwilkar was heard in the Supreme Court through video conferencing. After hearing this petition, the Supreme Court refused to ban the UP Panchayat election counting. The court said that we have noted what has been kept by the State Election Commission. We do not consider the need to interfere in the order of the Allahabad High Court. The protocol that was put before us should be fully followed. There should be a strict curfew outside the counting center. No victory rally should be held.

Earlier, the court asked the Uttar Pradesh government why not consider extending the calculation two weeks further. The Supreme Court had also sought a response from the State Election Commission, taking the petition seriously. During the video conferencing, a bench of Supreme Court Justice AM Khenwalkar and Justice Harishkesh Rao asked the Uttar Pradesh government why our panchayat election counting in UP should be postponed for two weeks, till then our medical infrastructure will also improve, and hope It can be done that only then the situation will be in better control. On this, ASG Aishwarya Bhati on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government said that a decision has been taken to conduct the counting of votes with much thought. The counting of votes will be done with the implementation of the Covid Guidelines. The counting of votes is to be held on Sunday on which day the Corona curfew is in Uttar Pradesh. We sincerely hope that the situation will not worsen during this period. During this period, only such candidates will be allowed to come to the counting center whose report of RTPCR / antigen test will be negative. A person with any symptoms will not be allowed to enter there. It will be compulsory to wear masks and maintain physical distance even at the counting center and outside it. There will be no celebration of victory anywhere. No one will be allowed to mobilize.

Justice AM Khanwilkar said that you have created 800 centers for counting of two lakh 40 thousand seats. That is, the vote of about 300 seats will be counted on each center. Here at least ten candidates will come to the polling station in one seat. To this, the Uttar Pradesh government replied that the counting of all these seats will not be done simultaneously. Counting will take place at eight tables at a time. With this, the candidates will also know when their site will be counted.

The petitioner's appeal was that the panchayat election in the state is over, but the votes have to be counted. There have been several cases of coronavirus infection during panchayat elections. In such a situation, counting should be stopped because of the present situation. The petition said that 60 to 70 people will be deposited at a table during the counting of votes. There will be a gathering of election officers, counting personnel, candidates, and their agents. Due to which there is a possibility of the rapid spread of the Covid epidemic in polling. A large number of people who do not follow the Covid protocol will be infected. It is feared that large numbers of people may be infected during the counting of votes. 50-50 candidates are in the fray for different posts from a gram panchayat.

In Uttar Pradesh, voting was on April 29 in the last phase of the four-phase polling from April 15. The counting of votes will now be held on May 2. During this panchayat election, along with many people engaged in duty, candidates contesting the elections have also come under the grip of the Coronavirus.

Notice sent to the State Election Commission: Notice has been sent to the UP State Election Commission on a petition seeking a stay on the process of panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh. There has been a demand to postpone the counting till the conditions of Covid infection are normal.