HC panel reviews CCTV footage of poll violence
Dehradun, Aug. 22 -- An eight-member committee, formed on the directions of Uttarakhand high court, on Thursday reviewed the CCTV footage and video recordings of the voting and counting process during the recently concluded Nainital district panchayat elections. The committee, formed by a division bench headed by chief justice G Narender and justice Subhash Upadhyay, will submit its findings to the court on Friday.
The panel was constituted after Congress-backed district panchayat member Poonam Bisht filed a petition alleging ballot tampering during the counting for the post of zila panchayat president on August 14. The bench had set up the committee of advocates on Wednesday to independently verify the claims.
On Thursday, Additional Advocate General Amarendra Pratap Singh, Deputy Advocate General JS Virk, and Additional Advocate General Rajiv Singh Bisht represented the state, while advocates AS Rawat, DS Patni, and Tribhuvan Fartiyal appeared on behalf of the petitioner. The State Election Commission was represented by advocate Sanjay Bhatt. Both candidates for the post of zila panchayat president, BJP's Deepa Darmwal and the rival Congress-supported candidate, were also present during the viewing.
The review, which began at 11 am and continued till 2.30 pm, covered the entire voting and counting process of August 14. Following the exercise, BJP candidate Darmwal said that she was fully satisfied with the election process. "After seeing the footage, I am convinced the election was fair," she said.
The election of Nainital's zila panchayat president has been mired in controversy amid allegations of clashes between Congress and BJP supporters, with the Congress claiming that five of their supported members had been abducted to prevent them from voting. However, the members later denied the allegation, insisting they had abstained voluntarily.
Amid rising tensions, the high court took suo motu cognisance of the situation and registered a public interest litigation to examine the law and order breakdown. The bench, however, clarified it would not interfere in the electoral process.
Subsequently, Bisht moved the HC separately, seeking repolling, and she alleged one ballot had been tampered with during the late-night counting, thereby altering the result.
According to her plea, 22 votes were cast in the presidential contest, of which one was declared invalid. BJP's Deepa Darmwal won with 11 votes against her rival's 10. For the vice-president's post, the voting ended in a 10-10 tie. Congress candidate Devki Bisht was declared winner after a draw of lots. The petitioner contended that a valid ballot in the president's race was deliberately marked invalid to benefit the ruling party.
During Wednesday's hearing, two applications were placed before the division bench, one alleging tampering in favour of the BJP candidate, and another requesting a stay on oath-taking of elected members until the dispute was resolved.
Appearing for the state, Advocate General SN Babulkar argued that the writ petition was not maintainable, stressing that such disputes could only be contested through an election petition before the appropriate forum. Counsel for the State Election Commission also dismissed the allegations of manipulation, stating that the elections were conducted under the supervision of independent observers, with CCTV cameras and video recording ensuring transparency.
Voting across Uttarakhand's district panchayats took place on August 14, with counting on the same day. However, in Nainital, the results were sealed on the instructions of the State Election Commission due to the uproar. Following the high court's intervention, polling for both the president and vice-president posts continued until 5pm, and counting concluded late that night.
The results were unsealed and formally declared on August 19, confirming BJP's Deepa Darmwal as zila panchayat president and Congress's Devki Bisht as vice-president....
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