To the extent feasible, all polling stations for the ensuing civic polls in Tamil Nadu would have CCTVs which would roll without any break, state Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram told the first bench of the Madras High Court on Friday.
The cameras would operate before the polling starts on the polling day till a short while after it is closed.
They would also be installed outside and even inside the strong-rooms with continuous coverage to ensure that the movement of any person approaching them and their activities within the strong-room are captured, the AG added.
His submission came in response to a PIL from AIADMK Election Wing deputy secretary I S Inbadurai, which came up for further hearing on Friday.
As regards the location of the counting centres and the strong-rooms, the AG said there can be no objection in such locations being made public to all the political parties. Instead of nine senior level all India service officers being appointed as observers to oversee one district each, senior officers would be appointed in every block so that every district will have as many observers as there are blocks in such districts, he mentioned.
Recording the submissions, the bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu hoped the elections for the local bodies are conducted in the same spirit as this matter has been addressed in court. All government functionaries must ensure the free and fair conduct of the polls so that there is no possibility of any grievance or complaint, the bench added and disposed of the petition.
Rural local body polls in nine of the reconstituted districts in Tamil Nadu are scheduled on October 6 and 9.
Source: The News Minute