Editor's Pick | Why the delay in uploading turnout data: SC to EC

The Supreme Court on Friday orally asked the Election Commission (EC) to explain its inability to immediately upload on its website authenticated, scanned and legible account of votes recorded booth-wise after each phase of polling in the Lok Sabha election. “Every Polling Officer submits [voting records] by the evening, after 6 or 7 p.m., by which time the polling is completed. The Returning Officer would then be having the data of the entire constituency. Why don’t you upload it?” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, asked the apex poll panel’s counsel. Rule 49S and Rule 56C (2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 require the Presiding Officer to prepare an account of votes recorded in Form 17C (Part I) format. The question from the Bench was based on an application filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan, Neha Rathi and Cheryl D’Souza, alleging inordinate delay in the publication of voter turnout data of the first two phases of polling in the Lok Sabha election. The NGO said that there was also an unusually sharp spike in figures from the initial voter turnout percentages released by the EC. The development has raised alarm bells in the public’s mind about the authenticity of the polling data available and even whether the electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been switched. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, for the EC, said the application was a deliberate attempt to disturb the General Elections. Mr. Singh said a judgment of the Supreme Court on April 26 had discussed every aspect, including Form 17C, [which records the number of votes polled in a booth] threadbare. Mr. Bhushan countered that the EVM case judgment had not dealt with the Form 17C point. The court listed the case for May 24. The petition said the voter turnout data for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections were published by the EC on April 30, after 11 days of the first phase of polling held on April 19 and four days after the second phase of polling held on April 26. “The inordinate delay in the release of final voter turnout data, coupled with the unusually high revision [of over 5%] in the EC press note of April 30 and the absence of disaggregated constituency and polling station figures in absolute numbers, has raised concerns and public suspicion regarding the correctness of the data… These apprehensions must be addressed and put to rest,” the petition has said. In an editorial on the April 26 judgment, The Hindu noted that the Supreme Court’s rejection of the demand for 100% verification of the paper trail left by the votes cast through electronic voting machines comes as no surprise, as there is no hard evidence that the current verification system suffers from any irremediable lacuna. But, it said “a larger point to be made is that the apprehensions and suspicions of possible manipulation indicate a level of mistrust in the Election Commission of India not seen in the past. Voter confidence in the system of voting and counting is one thing, but the need for the election watchdog to be seen as impartial is quite another.” The Hindu’s Editorials Dangers of divisiveness: On the electoral rhetoric, from the top level Stay invested: On Chabahar and India-Iran ties The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Prabhir Purkayastha is the founder of which online news portal? NewsClick AltNews NewsLaundry The Print To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 18 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 18 May 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Why the delay in uploading turnout data: SC to EC The [Supreme Court on Friday orally asked the Election Commission (EC)]( to explain its inability to immediately upload on its website authenticated, scanned and legible account of votes recorded booth-wise after each phase of polling in the Lok Sabha election. “Every Polling Officer submits [voting records] by the evening, after 6 or 7 p.m., by which time the polling is completed. The Returning Officer would then be having the data of the entire constituency. Why don’t you upload it?” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, asked the apex poll panel’s counsel. Rule 49S and Rule 56C (2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 require the Presiding Officer to prepare an account of votes recorded in Form 17C (Part I) format. The question from the Bench was based on an application filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan, Neha Rathi and Cheryl D’Souza, alleging inordinate delay in the publication of voter turnout data of the first two phases of polling in the Lok Sabha election. The NGO said that there was also an unusually sharp spike in figures from the initial voter turnout percentages released by the EC. The development has raised alarm bells in the public’s mind about the authenticity of the polling data available and even whether the electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been switched. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, for the EC, said the application was a deliberate attempt to disturb the General Elections. Mr. Singh said a judgment of the Supreme Court on April 26 had discussed every aspect, including Form 17C, [which records the number of votes polled in a booth] threadbare. Mr. Bhushan countered that the EVM case judgment had not dealt with the Form 17C point. The court listed the case for May 24. The petition said the voter turnout data for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections were published by the EC on April 30, after 11 days of the first phase of polling held on April 19 and four days after the second phase of polling held on April 26. “The inordinate delay in the release of final voter turnout data, coupled with the unusually high revision [of over 5%] in the EC press note of April 30 and the absence of disaggregated constituency and polling station figures in absolute numbers, has raised concerns and public suspicion regarding the correctness of the data… These apprehensions must be addressed and put to rest,” the petition has said. In an editorial on the April 26 judgment, [The Hindu]( noted]( that the Supreme Court’s rejection of the demand for 100% verification of the paper trail left by the votes cast through electronic voting machines comes as no surprise, as there is no hard evidence that the current verification system suffers from any irremediable lacuna. But, it said “a larger point to be made is that the apprehensions and suspicions of possible manipulation indicate a level of mistrust in the Election Commission of India not seen in the past. Voter confidence in the system of voting and counting is one thing, but the need for the election watchdog to be seen as impartial is quite another.” The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Dangers of divisiveness: On the electoral rhetoric, from the top level]( [Arrow][Stay invested: On Chabahar and India-Iran tiesÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Prabhir Purkayastha is the founder of which online news portal? - NewsClick - AltNews - NewsLaundry - The Print To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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