The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): The Supreme Court on Friday cited the Hindi proverb “aa bail mujhe maar” to describe the Election Commission’s (EC) predicament over its recently launched mobile application designed to provide real-time estimated voter turnout data. The court noted that despite there being no statutory obligation to share such data, the EC’s move has invited criticism.
The ‘Voter Turnout’ mobile app, as detailed on the EC website, is intended to display estimated voter turnout for each state, which can be further broken down to parliamentary and assembly constituency levels. The remark came during a hearing by a vacation bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, on a plea requesting that polling booth-wise voter turnout data in “absolute numbers” be uploaded on the EC’s website during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Justice Datta recalled a previous hearing involving the NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ that sought a return to paper ballots in elections. He mentioned questioning EC counsel Maninder Singh about the statutory requirement for real-time data uploading. Singh had responded that there were no such statutory requirements and that the EC was doing so for the sake of fairness and transparency.
Reflecting on the criticism the EC has faced for allegedly being slow in making full voter turnout data publicly available, Justice Datta remarked, “That day I did not say anything in open court but today I am willing to say something. It is like ‘Aa Bail Mujhe Maar’ (to invite trouble).”
Justice Datta was part of the bench along with Justice Sanjiv Khanna that rejected the NGO’s plea to revert to ballot papers on April 26. During the hearing, senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the NGO, stressed that the public has full faith in the Election Commission and that the EC should not misunderstand their intent. He argued, “People are entitled to know. If we can point out something which can strengthen the election process, why should we be shut out? ECI has the wherewithal to give exact figures of Form 17C. It can be updated by adopting the latest technology. Estimated figures are causing some anxiety.”
Dave’s comments underscored the importance of transparency and the need for accurate voter turnout data to maintain public trust in the election process. As the debate over the Voter Turnout app continues, the Supreme Court’s remarks highlight the delicate balance between technological advancements and the statutory obligations of electoral bodies.