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Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘It is clear, the match is fixed': Rahul Gandhi hits out at EC for reducing storage time of poll CCTV footage
After the Election Commission (EC) revised its guidelines on preserving video footage and photographs of elections, reducing the retention period to 45 days, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the poll panel, saying 'the one from whom the answer was needed is destroying the evidence'. EC sources, however, pointed out that the change aligned the retention period with the timeframe for candidates and electors to file a petition challenging an election – 45 days after the declaration of results. Earlier, the timeframes ranged from three months to one year, depending on the stage of the poll process, as The Indian Express had reported on Friday. Writing on X, Gandhi said: 'It is clear – the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy.' The poll panel had revised its earlier guidelines, issued in September 2024, on preserving video footage and photographs of elections — reducing the retention period to 45 days after the declaration of results, after which the data can be destroyed if no election petition (EP) is filed. The EC communicated its decision to the Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union territories on May 30, citing 'recent misuse' of such material. The Commission underlined that videography and photography of the election process are not mandated by law but are used as an 'internal management tool'. In a post on X, Gandhi, who has been levelling allegations of irregularities in the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year, said: 'Voter list? Will not provide machine-readable format. CCTV footage? It was hidden by changing the law. Photo-video of the election? Now, not in 1 year, we will destroy it in 45 days only.' EC sources said on Saturday that there had been demands to release videos of the poll process and webcasting footage of polling stations. They added that while the demands appeared to be logical, they were in violation of the privacy and security of voters, which is guaranteed by the Representation of the People Act and upheld by court judgments. Releasing the footage would allow for identification of electors by any group or individual, leaving the voters vulnerable to pressure and intimidation, they said. 'Since no election can be challenged beyond 45 days of the declaration of the result, retaining of this footage beyond this period, makes it susceptible to misuse of the content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives. In case of an EP being filed within 45 days, the CCTV footage is not destroyed and also made available to the competent court when asked for,' as per an EC source. This is the second significant change made by the EC in recent months pertaining to CCTV footage of the election process. In December last year, the government amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Elections Rules to limit public access to such footage. Gandhi's attack on the Election Commission, in a piece in The Indian Express on June 14, reiterated allegations he has made in the past and questioned the Maharashtra Assembly election data which the poll panel has released. In his piece titled 'Match-fixing Maharashtra', Gandhi wrote that 'voter rolls and CCTV footage are tools to be used to strengthen democracy, not ornaments to be locked up'. 'The people of India have a right to be assured that no records have been or will be trashed,' Gandhi wrote. A scrutiny by The Indian Express of his allegations and data around each shows that Gandhi's criticism selectively cites records, ignores crucial context and, in one case, even draws a connection where none exists.
The Wire
a day ago
- Politics
- The Wire
The EC Has Cited 'Malicious Narratives' to Ask Officers to Destroy CCTV, Other Footage in 45 Days
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed state election officers to destroy CCTV, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days, if the verdict is not challenged in courts within that period, in a bid to curb what it says are 'malicious narratives' using its electronic data. The poll body issued the instructions in a letter to state chief electoral officers on May 30, reported Press Trust of India. In the letter, the EC said it has issued instructions for recording various stages of the election process through multiple recording devices – photography, videography, CCTV, and webcasting during the election process. But added that such footage will only be preserved for 45 days, which is the duration within which an election petition (challenging a poll verdict) can be filed in court. "However, the recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media by selective and out-of-context use of such content, which will not lead to any legal outcome, has prompted a review," the letter said. "If no election petition is filed in respect of a particular constituency, then the said data may be destroyed," the letter added. the Union government had amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules. As per the new rules, not all election-related documents would be available for inspection by the public. In February, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Union government and the ECI in response to a plea filed against the changes made to the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. The plea filed by transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, said that the amendments place unreasonable restrictions on the fundamental right to information of voters. The matter now remains in the Supreme Court. In January 2024, the Chandigarh mayoral polls saw the presiding officer caught on CCTV cameras rigging the elections. The Supreme Court in February last year overturned the results of the mayoral polls – which had been fraudulently decided in favour of the BJP candidate – and declared the AAP-Congress joint candidate Kuldeep Kumar the validly elected city mayor. Later three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors who had jumped ship helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win elections to posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor in March. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
EC cuts storage time of poll videos, photos to 45 days, cites ‘misuse'
The Election Commission (EC) has revised its guidelines on preserving video footage and photographs of elections — reducing the retention period to 45 days after the declaration of results, after which the data can be destroyed if no election petition is filed. The poll watchdog communicated its decision to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the states on May 30, citing 'recent misuse' of such material. The Commission underlined that videography and photography of the election process are not mandated by law but are used as an 'internal management tool'. '… recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media by selective and out-of-context use of such content, which will not lead to any legal outcome, has prompted a review,' the EC wrote in its fresh instructions to all CEOs. This marks a departure from the earlier instructions issued on September 6, 2024, which had laid out specific timelines — ranging from three months to a year — for storing video footage from different stages of the election process. Under the earlier guidelines, footage from the pre-nomination period was to be retained for three months, while recordings from the nomination stage, campaign period, polling (inside and outside polling stations), and counting were to be preserved for periods varying between six months and one year, depending on the phase. According to EC sources, the new instructions align the time for storing the footage with the 45-day window for filing election petitions. The instructions would be prospective, they said. In case an election petition is filed, the footage would be stored till the completion of the case. The EC spokesperson did not respond to The Indian Express's email seeking comment on the latest decision. The election process — from the checking of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to their storage and movement on polling and counting days, and up to the counting of results — is covered by video and photography. The polling process inside stations is monitored through live webcasting. Campaign activities, too, are recorded to track candidates' expenditure and monitor possible violations of the Model Code of Conduct. This is the second significant change made by the EC in recent months pertaining to CCTV footage of the election process. In December last year, the government amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Elections Rules to limit public access to such footage. Earlier, Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, stated that 'all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection'. The amended version of the rule now states: 'All other papers as specified in these rules relating to the election shall be open to public inspection.' This amendment, sources in the EC had told The Indian Express, would effectively clarify that electronic footage of the polling process is not covered within the definition of election papers and hence not open to public scrutiny. The argument was that providing CCTV footage would amount to violation of secrecy of vote and open it up to potential misuse using artificial intelligence. The December 2024 amendment was made by the Law Ministry in consultation with the EC just two weeks after the Punjab and Haryana High Court, acting on a petition filed by advocate Mehmood Pracha, directed the Commission to release election papers and videography related to the Haryana Assembly elections. Speaking to The Indian Express on the latest set of instructions on preservation of CCTV footage of the election process, Pracha said: 'The EC has itself admitted that EVMs are made safe by following a robust protocol that makes the elections free and fair. They have said so in my case in the High Court and in the Association for Democratic Reforms case in the Supreme Court. All we are saying is that we want to see whether the protocols are being followed, with our own eyes, by looking at the CCTV footage.' Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
No material to indicate votes cast in name of dead people in Dhule LS seat: HC
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Bombay high court's Aurangabad bench has dismissed BJP leader and former minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre's election petition that Congress nominee Shobha Bachchav's election as MP from Dhule Parliamentary Constituency in Nashik district in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls be set aside on the grounds of irregularities. The court allowed Bachchav's application in the same matter seeking dismissal of Bhamre's election petition. Bhamre polled over 5.80 lakh votes as against over 5.83 lakh votes polled by Bachchav. The victory margin was over 3,800 votes. Of the six assembly segments that fall in Dhule Parliamentary Constituency, Bhamre focused his election petition on the polling in Malegaon Central segment from where he could muster only 4,542 votes as against over 1.98 votes polled by Bachchav. Bhamre contended that a large number of votes were cast in the name of dead voters, who continued to figure in the electoral roll, and multiple votes were cast in the name of same people in different booths. All these votes were cast in favour of the winning candidate, he contended. The bench of Justice Arun Pednekar, however, held on June 13 that there was no material placed on record to indicate that votes were cast in the name of dead people. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cardiologists: 1 Teaspoon of This Before Bed Melts Belly Fat Like Crazy Hollywood News | USA Click Here Undo Similarly, there was no material to substantiate the allegation of multiple votes cast in the name of same people. "By merely having names of dead people on the electoral roll this court will not presume that votes are cast in their names. The polling agents in the booth are aware of the votes cast by people and an affidavit of polling agents present in the polling station stating that votes are cast against dead persons would at least indicate that voting has taken place against the name of dead persons," the bench said while pointing out that there was no affidavit by polling agents that they have noticed votes being cast in the name of dead people or that the polling agent had raised objection to the casting of votes in the name of dead people. The bench cited provisions under the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 relating to appointment of polling agents and safeguards against impersonation, and ruled, "Presently, there is no material before the court to indicate that large number of persons have cast votes against the names of dead people so as to materially affect the election and this court would not enter into inquiry of the same." "In the election petition, the pleadings have to be precise, specific and unambiguous. If the allegations contained in Election Petition do not set out grounds as contemplated in Section 100 and do not conform to the requirement of Section 81 and 83 of the Act, the Election Petition is liable to be rejected Under Order VII, Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure," the bench held.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Ludhiana West bye-elections: ECI introduces mobile phone deposit facility to enhance voter convenience
CHANDIGARH: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, voters in the Ludhiana (West) Assembly bye-elections, scheduled for June 19, will be able to securely deposit their mobile phones in designated holders before entering the polling station, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab, Sibin C, announced. The new facility, being piloted across all 194 polling stations in the constituency, is aimed at improving voter convenience while ensuring the secrecy of voting, as mandated under Rule 49M of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. 'Implementing the mobile phone deposit facility during the Ludhiana (West) bye-elections is part of our broader effort to improve the convenience of voters, while maintaining the secrecy of voting,' said Sibin C, CEO, Punjab.
