Telangana teachers, employees on election duty given postal ballots, ECI tells HC

Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday informed the Telangana High Court that all the teachers and employees deputed on election duty were issued the postal ballots.

On November 28, 1.75 lakh employees and teachers cast their votes in their respective Assembly Constituencies, where they have been deputed to perform the election duty, informed ECI counsel.

The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, was adjudicating a writ petition filed by Telangana Prantha Upadhaya Sangam aggrieved by the inaction of the ECI and chief electoral officer of Telangana in providing postal ballots to the teachers and the employees who were given election duty.

The Telangana Prantha Upadhyaya Sangam filed a writ petition on Tuesday seeking a direction to the ECI and CEO of Telangana and the principal secretary to the government, GAD, to issue postal ballots to all the employees/teachers, who are on election duty as mandated by the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The petitioner submitted that nearly 3.3 lakh employees are deputed for election duty and about 1.6 lakh employees opted for postal ballot facility to enable them to vote. But most of the employees, who opted for the postal ballot facility, have not yet been issued the postal ballot facility, thereby depriving them from exercising their right to vote.

An employee, on election duty has to make an application in Form 12 with a copy of the appointment letter as proof of having been drafted for election duty and a photocopy of the EPIC.

Chief Justice Alok Aradhe took into consideration the contention of Avinash Desai, standing counsel for the ECI and observed in the order that the grievance of the petitioner stands redressed. Therefore, no orders are required. The petition was disposed of.