HC closes plea for contempt proceedings against TN Chief Electoral Officer

The Madras High Court on Monday closed a contempt plea against the state Chief Electoral Officer, observing that no case was made out against him.

Teachers associations had sought to initiate contempt proceedings against Satyabrata Sahoo for alleged violation of its earlier orders.

Originally, the Tamil Nadu High & Higher Secondary Graduate Teachers Association had moved the Court with a PIL seeking to establish separate polling booths for the members of the association to cast their votes through EVMs much before the polling date of April 6, so that they could take up the assignment of duty on the general polling date.


Following a submission from the CEO counsel that the plea could not be conceded and that they can exercise their franchise through postal ballot system, the first bench of the High Court consisting of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy disposed of the PIL with a direction to the authorities to ensure that the postal ballot facility is extended to the teachers much in advance and restrict the absenteeism below 10 per cent.

Alleging that this order was not complied with in full, the association moved the Court again with the present petition.

When it came up before the bench today, the CEO's counsel listed the steps taken to ensure the voting of the association members through the postal ballot system.

Only the request of 114 persons has been rejected and it would account for only 0.3 per cent, he pointed out.

Satisfied, the bench closed the contempt plea.