Election Commission’s Amendment to Conduct of Election Rules

• The Centre of India (Centre) has amended the Conduct of Election Rules to restrict public access to certain poll documents.

• The amendment was based on a recommendation from the Election Commission (EC).

• The EC stated the amendment aims to restrict access to electronic data, but Opposition and transparency activists have criticized it as an attack on the right to information and electoral freedom.

• The amendment was brought into effect after a recent direction to the EC by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to share all documents related to the Haryana Assembly election.

• Transparency activists argue that the amendment hurts the citizen’s right to know about the election process.

• The amendment aims to restrict access to a large number of documents created during Parliamentary and State Assembly elections, many of which are not specifically mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules.

• The Opposition, including the Congress, has moved the Supreme Court against the amendments.

• Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has accused the EC of destroying the institutional integrity of the EC.