SC quashes application seeking disclosure of voter turnout
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned an application seeking the release of final authenticated data on voter turnout in all polling stations, including the number of votes polled in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
The plea sought directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disclose the data within 48 hours of polling.
Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma expressed reluctance to meddle in the middle of the election, stating that the court must take a "hands-off approach."
Court's stance
Justices advocate for trust in election authority
The bench also noted that this interim application's prayers were identical to those in a 2019 main writ petition.
"In between elections, hands-off approach has to be taken. Let the application be heard along with the main writ petition. We cannot interrupt the process. Let us have some trust in the authority," Justice Datta said.
The court then ordered that the matter be listed after the Lok Sabha polls.
Legal debate
NGOs interim application
The NGOs Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Common Cause filed an interlocutory application in a 2019 writ petition citing discrepancies in voter turnout figures for the 2019 general election.
It also noted that in the current Lok Sabha elections, the ECI released voter turnout figures after many days.
The data for the first phase of polling on April 19 was disclosed after 11 days, while the second phase of polling on April 26 was published after 4 days.
Election data
ECI opposes ADR's petition
A writ petition filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in 2019 alleging discrepancies in the voter turnout data in that year's general elections was also listed on Friday along with ADR's interim application.
During the hearing, senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the ECI, questioned the validity of ADR's petition, arguing that it was based on "unfounded suspicions" and "false allegations."
Singh also contended that ADR's application overlooked a judgment delivered on April 26 in the EVM-VVPAT case.