Delhi HC seeks ECI, Centre's reply on mask use & Covid awareness during election campaigns

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI), seeking a report on the use of masks during the ongoing election campaigns. Massive crowds at rallies and road-shows have been an ever-present in all 4 states that have gone to polls, plus at Puducherry, with no party taking anything resembling caution.

Senior officials submitted an application seeking a response from ECI and the Centre

According to PTI, with five phases of assembly elections in West Bengal still to go, the notice could impact the campaign events planned by the BJP, ruling TMC, the Congress, and the Left. The notice was issued by a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh, who have sought response of the Centre and the ECI to the application by Vikram Singh, the former DGP of Uttar Pradesh and also the chairman of think tank Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC).

'ECI must've created awareness on various platforms over Covid-19 protocols like masking'

The court has listed the application for further hearing on April 30 along with Singh's main petition seeking to debar campaigners and candidates from campaigning in the assembly polls for repeatedly violating the mandatory guidelines issued by the poll panel in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Advocate Virag Gupta who appeared for Singh told the bench that the poll body should "create awareness through digital, print and electronic media for compulsory masking and social distancing during assembly elections."

"When all the authorities are unanimous on mandatory masking, it defies logic as to why the rule should not be enforced in election campaigns," Gupta argued. Anurag Ahluwalia, the standing counsel for the Central government accepted the notice on behalf of the Centre. 

Moreover, as suggested by advocate Gupta, the polling body (ECI) did not conduct any awareness campaign during the polls, to remind people about masking and maintaining social distancing. Also, it is yet to be ascertained as to how many people attended every poll rally in the country, and how these rallies contributed to the number of Covid-19 cases that have been rising since past few weeks.