Punjab Zila Parishad elections: Raja Warring moves High Court seeking videography of vote counting
PTC Web Desk: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president and Lok Sabha MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, urging it to order compulsory videography of the entire vote-counting process for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Block Samiti elections in Punjab, scheduled for December 17.
Filing a public interest litigation through advocate Nikhil Ghai, Raja Warring said the plea was aimed at protecting the fairness, transparency and credibility of the electoral process in the local body elections across the state.
The petition pointed out that vote counting is a crucial and conclusive stage of any election, extending until the official declaration of results. Despite this, the counting process in Zila Parishad elections is carried out without mandatory video recording, leaving no independent or verifiable record of what happens during this sensitive phase.
According to the petitioner, the lack of videography makes the process opaque and open to allegations of arbitrariness or manipulation, which in turn undermines public trust in democratic institutions.
The plea relies on constitutional principles, arguing that free and fair elections are part of the Constitution’s basic structure. It contends that insufficient transparency during vote counting violates Articles 14 and 21, as well as Article 243K, which governs elections to local bodies.
The petitioner maintained that videographing the counting process would be a reasonable and non-intrusive safeguard. It would not compromise the secrecy of the ballot or disrupt the election process, but would instead improve accountability, discourage malpractice and help reduce post-election disputes.
Clarifying that the petition does not challenge any election result, Raja Warring sought preventive measures. These include directions to make videography of the entire counting process mandatory, ensure safe preservation of video records for a fixed period, and allow their use for judicial or statutory scrutiny when required.
The plea also called for the formulation of uniform and binding guidelines on videography, data storage, access and responsibility. The matter is listed for hearing before the High Court on Tuesday.
- PTC NEWS
