The Centre has amended the Conduct of Election Rules thereby restricting access to certain documents. The move comes close on the heels of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing the Election Commission (EC) to provide all poll-related documents during the recent Haryana Assembly elections.
On December 20, the Union ministry of law and justice notified that the general public cannot access all poll-related documents but can get records specified in the Conduct of Election Rules. This was done in consultation with the EC, Siasat.com reported.
While earlier Rule 93(2)(a) of the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules stated that “all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection”, the amended version now says, “all other papers as specified in these rules relating to the election shall be open to public inspection.”
Reacting to the amendment, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a message on platform X stating, "If there was ever a vindication of our assertions regarding the rapidly eroding integrity of the electoral process managed by the Election Commission of India in recent times, this is it."
He said this move of the ECI will be legally challenged right away.
This implies that the public can get access to documents specified in the Conduct of Election Rules.
Activists, according to Deccan Herald, claimed that the insertion of “as specified in these rules” restrict access to a range of official documents created during the elections to Parliament and Assemblies, which are not specified in the rules.