look news india
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: As the Lok Sabha elections are progressing, the role of the Election Commission is coming under suspicion. Now the Election Commission has once again come under controversy.
Many controversies have arisen in this Lok Sabha election. One of these is the Form 17C controversy, the hearing of which is going on in the Supreme Court.
The petitioners are demanding disclosure of Form 17C data but the Commission is not ready for it and has opposed it by filing a 225-page affidavit.
The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that the rules do not allow making the data of Form 17C public. The petition has asked the Commission to disclose this data within 48 hours of the end of voting.
What is Form 17C?
Form 17C is a complete record of the number of voters registered in each polling station and the votes cast and other relevant data. The original copy of this form is kept safe in the strongroom and a copy is given to the polling agent of each candidate.
Voting percentage is determined by Form 17C. This form has two parts, in which voting is recorded in the first part and election results are recorded in the second part.
Why is Form 17C required?
According to the Conduct of Election Rules 1961, it is the duty of the polling officer at each polling station to keep a complete record of the votes cast there. These EVMs also keep a physical record of every vote cast.
The polling agent of each candidate can ask for a copy. If there is any complaint of discrepancy, the votes cast in the EVM can be matched with its data. This can eliminate the possibility of manipulation.
What is the dispute on Form 17C?
The Association for Democratic Reforms has filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding that a scanned copy of Form 17C be uploaded on the Election Commission's website. Some opposition parties are alleging manipulation of voting percentage figures.
The first phase of elections was held on 19 April and the second phase on 26 April. The Election Commission released the updated data of the voting percentage of the first phase after 11 days and the updated data of the voting percentage of the second phase after 4 days. After this, it was also claimed that there was a difference of up to 5% in the final figures of the Commission.
What happened in the Supreme Court?
On May 17, on the application of ADR in this case, the bench of CJI Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra asked the Election Commission in the Supreme Court that why the data of Form 17C cannot be made public? The Election Commission has filed an affidavit of 225 pages in this regard, which is to be heard on Friday i.e. May 24.
Why does the Election Commission not want to make Form 17C public?
This petition is being opposed by the Election Commission. According to the Election Commission, uploading Form 17C can cause chaos in the electoral system. Apart from this, the scanned copy images can be tampered with and this can reduce the confidence of the general public in the electoral process.
The Election Commission says that a copy of it can be given to the polling agents of the candidates but it cannot be made public. Its original copy is still kept in the strongroom.