NEW DELHI, Dec 2: On Monday, the Supreme Court requested a response from the Election Commission regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that challenges its decision to increase the maximum number of voters at polling stations from 1,200 to 1,500. The Court emphasized that no voter should be left out.
Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, part of the bench, expressed their concern, stating, “We are focused on ensuring no voter is excluded.” They instructed senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Election Commission, to submit a short affidavit detailing the reasoning behind the increase in voters at each polling station.
“Senior advocate Maninder Singh stated, on instruction, that they will clarify the situation through a short affidavit. The affidavit should be submitted within three weeks,” the bench mentioned.
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Singh noted that the bench was aware of ongoing allegations regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs), commenting, “These concerns will persist. Polling has operated this way since 2019, with consultations held with political parties in each constituency beforehand.”
He further mentioned that polling stations can accommodate multiple booths and that political parties had been involved in determining the total number of voters per EVM.
Singh added that voters have always been allowed to cast their votes even after the designated time. The bench has scheduled the next hearing for January 27, 2025, and has requested the Election Commission to share a copy of its affidavit with the petitioner before that date.
The PIL, filed by Indu Prakash Singh, contests two communications from the Election Commission issued in August that increased the number of voters per polling station across India, claiming that this decision was arbitrary and lacked data justification.
