Madras HC on EC’s plea to restrain media from reporting oral observations

The Madras High Court on Friday didn’t entertain the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) request to restrain the media from reporting oral observations made by judges in court.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the observations while hearing the suo moto case on the preparedness for the second wave of Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Appearing for the EC, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi informed the court of the measures taken to ensure that Covid-19 protocols are followed on counting day on May 2. In addition, he raised the wide news coverage on the court’s oral statements made on April 26 that the EC was singularly responsible for the second wave,