MADURAI: The State Election Commission (SEC) gave an undertaking before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that it would instruct all District Election Officers/Collectors to make arrangements to videograph the indirect election scheduled on January 11 to the posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Panchayat Unions and District Panchayats in Tamil Nadu.
The commission gave the undertaking before a Division Bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and T Ravindran, which was hearing two Public Interest Litigations (PIL) seeking direction to videograph the election process in certain panchayat unions in Dindigul and Ramanathapuram districts.
Recording the commission's undertaking, the judges disposed of the litigations. They added that after completion of the said election, the district collectors, by January 21, should file individual affidavits before the Registry of the court, stating that they have videographed the election process.
M Lalitha of Nilakottai in Dindigul, one of the litigants, alleged that ward councillors of Musuvanuthu and Kottur village panchayats in Nilakottai are conspiring with two election officials to cast bogus votes in the upcoming Chairman and Vice-Chairman election.
She prayed the court to appoint a senior advocate or court commissioner to supervise the election and also sought for direction to videograph the entire election process in Nilakottai on January 11.
Similar plea was filed by one Murugan of Muthukulathur in Ramanathapuram in connection with Muthukulathur panchayat union.