SC asks EC to decide to reschedule poll timing due to Ramzan

The Supreme Court on Thursday, 02 May 2019 told the Election Commission to decide a plea for re-scheduling the voting timing from 7 am to 4.30 or 5 am in remaining phases of general elections 2019coinciding with Ramzan to ensure higher turnout of Muslim community.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The plea seeks revision of voting time from 7 am to 5 am during Ramzan
• Heatwave conditions in Rajasthan and other areas have also been attributed in the plea
• Supreme Court on Thursday asked EC to take a decision on rescheduling of voting time

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna disposed of the writ petition filed by advocate Mohammad Nizamuddin Pasha.

The advocate, in his plea, said that the sole object of his petition was to increase the voter participation. For that purpose, there should be a fair and convenient opportunity to persons of all community, particularly, the Muslim to enable them to cast their vote and ensure equal participation in the democratic process, consistent with Article 14 (equality) of the Constitution.

In order to make sure the outcome of general elections be truly representative, the timing of polling in the fifth, sixth and seventh phase of polling scheduled on May 6, 12 and 19 should be preponed by two to two and half hours, he said. The petitioner said the Holy month of Ramzan is likely to commence from May 6 during which the Muslims would observe fast.

Heatwave conditions in Rajasthan and other states have also been attributed as the reason behind the need to have an early start to polling in the Lok Sabha elections.

After the polling dates were announced on March 10, there was a raging debate over the Lok Sabha poll dates coinciding with the Ramzan month. The Election Commission had then clarified that it had excluded the date of the main festival and Fridays from the polling schedule.

However, considering the plea, Supreme Court asks Election Commission to decide on pleas for re-scheduling the voting time from 7 am to 5 am in General Election during the month of Ramzan coinciding with the rest of the phases and due to heat-wave conditions in Rajasthan and other areas.