Election Commission Under Fire For Tweaking Rules; Congress Threatens Legal Challenge

New Delhi: A row erupted after the Central government amended an election rule to prevent public scrutiny of electronic documents like CCTV footage and video recordings of candidates.

The Union Law Ministry, based on the recommendation of Election Commission of India (ECI), amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict certain type of documents from public scrutiny.

While the earlier Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules stated that “all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection,” the amended version of the rule says “all other papers as specified in these rules relating to the election shall be open to public inspection”.

The Congress slammed the ECI for amending rules, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh saying it was a “vindication” of the party’s assertion of the “rapidly eroding integrity” of the electoral process.

“If there was ever a vindication of our assertions regarding the rapidly eroding integrity of the electoral process managed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in recent times, this is it,” Ramesh wrote on X, sharing the December 20 notification.

“This move of the ECI will be challenged legally right away,” Ramesh announced.

“Why is the ECI so afraid of transparency?” the Congress general secretary asked.

The move was prompted by a court case, according to the Law Ministry and ECI officials.

“There have been instances where such electronic records have been sought, citing the rules. The amendment ensures that only papers mentioned in the rules are available for public inspection, and any other document which has no reference to the rules is not allowed for public inspection,” said an Election Commission official.