New Delhi: In a significant move to enhance transparency in the electoral process, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has approached the Supreme Court with a plea to instruct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish clear scans of Form 17C Part-I from every polling station on its official website shortly after the polls close. This form is crucial as it contains verified vote counts.
The petition, spearheaded by noted advocate Prashant Bhushan, underscores the urgency of addressing delays in the publication of final voter turnout figures and the need for detailed, disaggregated data in absolute terms. The application points to discrepancies in the data released on April 30, 2024, which showed a marked increase from preliminary figures, casting doubts on its veracity.
The ADR’s legal action also calls for the ECI to provide structured data on voter turnout, both at the polling station level and across constituencies, for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This would allow for public scrutiny and comparison of the number of votes cast against those counted.
In addition, the plea urges the ECI to make available scanned copies of Form 17C Part-II, which details the candidate-specific results of the count, after the finalization of the Lok Sabha election results.
The ADR’s initiative aligns with the broader call for electoral integrity and the right of the electorate to have access to comprehensive voting data. This move comes amidst other related developments, including the Supreme Court granting interim bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and the ECI’s rebuttal of allegations made by Malik Arjun Kharge concerning delays in voter turnout data.
The ADR’s demands include the immediate online publication of Form 17C Part-I post-polling and detailed tabulations of votes polled and voter turnout, reinforcing the democratic principle that the public has a right to be fully informed about the electoral process.
