Additional CCTV cameras to be installed in strong rooms where EVMs kept, Madras HC told

Chennai: Tamil Nadu's Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that all District Election Officers have been directed to install additional CCTV cameras in the strong rooms where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), used for the April 19 elections in the state, have been kept.

The standing counsel for the Election Commission for India, Niranjan Rajagopalan, appearing before a summer vacation bench of Justices A.D. Jagadish Chandira and R. Kalaimathi, said that the additional CCTV cameras would have a dedicated line, switch, router and a TV screen for political party agents to view the footage.

The poll panel was responding to a writ petition filed by M.L. Ravi of the DMSK who wanted an expert committee headed by a retired high court judge to check on why the snags had taken place in strong rooms.

The petitioner said that some CCTV cameras in strong rooms had suddenly stopped functioning and there could have been foul play. However, the Election Commission said that the additional CCTV cameras would continue to work even if the other cameras failed, because of technical, electrical, or electronic reasons.

The instructions for the additional cameras were issued on May 2 after complaints of malfunctioning CCTCV cameras were reported in the Nilgiris and Tenkasi constituencies.

After hearing the response of the state CEO, the division bench disposed of the case.