Seizure of cash videographed: EC

Chennai: The Election Commission of India has informed the Madras high court that the process of seizures of cash by sleuths of flying squads is being videographed and if any genuine request is made for the return of the same, it is done so after due verification of the records.

R. Niranjan, counsel for ECI,  made this submission before the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh when a PIL from Salem Managaratchi Nagara Perunthu Nilaiya Kattida Vadagai Kadaikarargal Nala Sangam, which sought a direction to the ECI not to harass members of the petitioner while carrying on cash for business purpose on production of proper documents, came up for hearing.

Recording the same, the bench said, “The endeavour of the election commission to seize cash is to decrease the role of money in the state elections. The same has to be supported rather than impediment. If at all it should be carried on even more vigorously. We are thus, not inclined to entertain this petition, seeking some standard form of documents permitting the cash to be carried”.

Petitioner’s counsel R. Hemalatha submitted that petitioner was not questioning the powers of the ECI or their functions or the action taken against the large scale mal-practices during the code of conduct in force, but the common business people carrying on business in remote villages, who were carrying small cash i.e. Rs 50,000 or above should not be harassed.

Though the ECI has prescribed certain documents to be carried by the common man/business people, the ECI has not spelt out the documents to be carried.
In the case of petitioner sangam, its members were small traders
doing petty shop business. They do not have PAN card or any other major document, she added.