A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
The petition has been filed by Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, questioning the amendments made in ‘unilateral’ matter.
What is the matter?
As per the petition filed in the top court, the Ministry of Law and Justice has modified Rule 93(2)(A) to restrict public access to certain election-related documents on the recommendation of the Election Commission.
The plea states that such a move undermines transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
As per the revised rules, not all election-related documents will be available for public scrutiny.
Jairam Ramesh in his tweet noted that the Election Commission, being a constitutional body responsible for ensuring free and fair elections and cannot unilaterally make such significant changes without public consultation.
He emphasized that the integrity of India’s electoral process is fast eroding and expected the top court to restore it.