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Election Commission of India’s panel counsel in the Supreme Court, Advocate Mohit D Ram has tendered his resignation from the post.
According to LiveLaw, Advocate Ram stated, “It was an honour to represent the Election Commission of India. I had a cherishing milestone of my career, in the journey which began with being part of the office of Standing Counsel of ECI and progressed as one of the panel counsels of ECI (since 2013). However, I have found that my values are not in consonance with the current functioning of the ECI; and hence I withdraw myself from the responsibilities of its panel counsel before the Supreme Court of India.”
In related news, the ECI’s plea seeking restraint on the media from reporting oral observations made by judges during court proceedings was dismissed by the Supreme Court on May 6.
The plea by ECI was prompted by certain strong remarks made by the Madras High Court Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy against the Commission officers for failing to curb the abuse of Covid-19 protocols during election rallies. The Bench had said that they should probably be booked for murder and that the EC is responsible for the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Supreme Court, while hearing the ECI’s appeal, held that “freedom of speech and expression extends to reporting the proceedings of judicial institutions as well” and that the judges views and remarks while hearing a matter is “intrinsic to a process of open and transparent judging.”
However, Mohit Ram was not part of this matter.
Related:
Election Commission officers should probably be booked for murder: Madras HC
We cannot gag reporting of proceedings: SC dismisses EC’s plea against Madras HC’s ‘murder’ remark