Excess Votes Discovered in Tamil Nadu Bar Council Election Ballot Box
CHENNAI: A significant controversy has erupted during the vote counting process for the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry elections, following the discovery of 47 excess votes inside a sealed ballot box from Tirupur district. The incident has raised serious questions about electoral integrity and transparency in the legal community's self-governance process.
Lawyers Stage Protest Demanding Investigation
A group of lawyers staged a protest near the Madras High Court on Tuesday, vociferously demanding a thorough inquiry into the matter. The protestors expressed deep concern about the electoral process's credibility and called for immediate action to address what they perceive as a serious irregularity.
Three candidates—advocates G Mohanakrishnan, Ashok, and D Saravanan—formally submitted a representation to the High-Power Election Committee. This committee, appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the election process, is headed by former Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Rajiv Shakdher.
Demands for Transparency and Fairness
The protesting lawyers have made several specific demands regarding the electoral process:
- An immediate investigation into how 47 extra votes were placed in the Tirupur district ballot box
- Appropriate action against those responsible for the irregularity
- A complete re-poll in Tirupur district to ensure fairness
- Suspension of vote counting in Tirupur district until the matter is resolved
- Exclusion of votes from Tirupur district from consideration until a final determination is made
"Till then, the counting of votes in Tirupur district must be stopped. Further, the votes secured by the candidates from Tirupur district shall not be considered as valid until a final conclusion is arrived at on this issue," the lawyers emphasized in their representation.
Official Response: Human Error, Not Malpractice
Returning officer and former Madras High Court judge Justice K N Basha has provided an official explanation for the incident, categorically ruling out any intentional malpractice.
"Clearly nothing wrong happened. It was a small error; duplicates of 47 ballot papers were added inadvertently," Justice Basha stated. "The error was noticed by the Tirupur district election observer and polling officer. They segregated the duplicate unused ballot papers and bundled them separately before sending them to Chennai for counting."
He further explained that election officers in Chennai were unaware of this separation, which led to the discovery during the counting process. "As we (officers in Chennai) are not aware of the same, it came to light only during counting. Immediately, we informed the representatives of all the candidates present and stopped counting. We offered an explanation for almost half a day, and the unused duplicate ballot papers were removed," he added.
Counting Resumes Under Scrutiny
Despite the controversy, the counting process has resumed with enhanced transparency measures. Justice Basha emphasized that "the entire process is live-streamed" to ensure public accountability and prevent any potential irregularities.
"There is no possibility of malpractice. Counting is a cumbersome process since a preferential voting system is followed," he noted, referring to the complex voting method that requires careful tabulation of voter preferences.
The incident highlights the challenges of conducting transparent elections within professional bodies and underscores the importance of rigorous oversight mechanisms. As the counting continues, all stakeholders await the final outcome while maintaining vigilance over the electoral process.
