The Supreme Court on Monday said it will examine all decisions of the Election Commission, or EC, and annul those found not to be in accordance with law, as it issued notices to the Centre and the poll body following pleas alleging that the top poll body took several decisions without the approval of the two election commissioners.
The top court, however, refused to pass any interim direction to restrain Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar from taking any decision till the final disposal of the petition, with the Chief Justice saying that the court cannot pass an order by relying solely on newspaper report and it has to look into the responses of the poll body and the Centre. A state of Emergency was declared in the country following this verdict. His rival, AC Jose, argued in court that there was no legal provision for the use of EVMs. However, the Supreme Court later stayed the High Court’s order. However, the Supreme Court had stayed the High Court’s decision.
Jacob’s election victory was set aside by the Kerala High Court due to allegations of corrupt practices-specifically the distribution of pamphlets aimed at character assassination during the campaign against his rival (UDF leader TM Jacob). On June 2, 1975, the Allahabad High Court set aside Indira Gandhi’s election and barred her from contesting elections for six years. N Sivan Pillai – Kerala Assembly Election 1982 In the 1982 Kerala Assembly elections, EVMs were used for the first time at 50 polling stations in the North Paravur constituency, where CPI’s N Sivan Pillai won by 123 votes. In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled in Jose’s favor, set aside Pillai’s election, and ordered a re-poll using ballot papers at those 50 stations; Jose emerged as the winner. In the 2006 Kerala Assembly elections, LDF candidate MJ Jacob from the Piravom seat. In July 2023, the Madras High Court declared the 2019 Lok Sabha election victory of OP Ravindranath Kumar – the lone AIADMK MP from Tamil Nadu’s Theni constituency and son of former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam – null and void. A petition filed by a voter from the constituency alleged that Ravindranath had concealed information regarding his assets and income in his nomination papers and had attempted to bribe or influence voters during the campaign; the Court deemed these actions improper under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
