Election Commission and Delhi High Court
– Photo: Amar Ujala
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The Election Commission (EC) has told the Delhi High Court that it will preserve video footage in respect of EVMs for Rampur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh as per protocol. The Election Commission’s statement came on a petition filed by lawyer Mahmood Pracha, who was an election contestant from Rampur. He had sought direction to the Election Commission to follow the manual on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in respect of his constituency for the security of video footage.
Election Commission counsel Siddhant Kumar said that in any case the Commission is bound to follow protocols for preservation of videography or CCTV coverage at various stages of the electoral process for each Lok Sabha constituency. Justice Sachin Dutta took the Election Commission’s stand on record and said, ‘No further relief has been pressed for by the petitioner. The present petition is disposed of in the above terms.
Earlier this month, the court had asked the Election Commission to file an affidavit on the videography done and CCTV footage created in relation to EVMs and the guidelines being adopted to preserve the video footage of the electoral process. The Election Commission said that as per the instructions prescribed in the EVM manual and instructions passed, steps have been taken from time to time to preserve videography or CCTV coverage at various stages of the electoral process.
