AP accords top priority to protecting lives of people: AG S Sriram

Vijayawada: Advocate general S. Sriram has informed the AP High Court that the state government is now fully committed to conducting the Covid-19 vaccination programme in a smooth manner. While this is the first priority, the state would also ensure better turnout of voters in the gram panchayat polls if the elections are held after completion of the vaccination programme.

This is why the state government is raising objections against the state election commission (SEC) move to hold the polls in February, he said.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Arup Kumar Goswami and Justice Ch. Praveen Kumar held the hearing on Monday as the SEC challenged the interim order issued by the single judge suspending the election schedule for gram panchayat polls in four phases in February.

Advocate general S. Sriram informed the court that the AP government was duty-bound to follow the guidelines issued by the Centre on the Covid-19 vaccination programme. Under the circumstances, the government was not expected to take any decision that would disrupt the vaccination programme.

He said the state government was not in a position to simultaneously take up the Covid-19 vaccination programme and the gram panchayat polls. If polls are held alongside the vaccination programme, the voter turnout would not cross 50 per cent. The people would be afraid of coming out for voting as it involved a risk to their health.

The AG said if the polls are held after completion of the ongoing vaccination programme, it would help enhance the voter turnout.

The AG explained to the court as to how the state had carried out a dry run based on the guidelines from the Centre before taking up the vaccination programme. The onerous task involved vaccination of 3.7 lakh healthcare workers, seven lakh frontline workers, 95 lakh ordinary individuals above age 50 and 45 lakh people aged below 50 with multiple health issues, in a phased manner.

Based on the availability of vaccine doses and the response from targeted persons, the government would go ahead with the vaccination programme. He also informed the court that as the two doses of vaccine are to be administered with a space of 28 days, it would take time to complete the exercise.

The AG referred to SEC Ramesh Kumar’s stand that as the election process was already started, there should be no interference with it. The Supreme Court had made it clear as to what the circumstances are under which courts could intervene in such matters, he said, and argued that the state government was according top priority to protecting the lives of the people.

Assistant solicitor general N. Harinath informed the court that lots of manpower and machinery are required for taking up the vaccination programme. Elections could be held any time but safeguarding the lives of the people is more important.

SEC senior counsel B. Adinarayana Rao said the SEC was conducting gram panchayat polls as part of its Constitutional responsibility and asked as to what personal benefit the SEC could derive by holding polls as per present schedule. After all, his kin were not contesting the polls.

SEC senior counsel D.V. Sitharama Murthy told the court that the state government made the SEC a respondent in its petition in his individual capacity and asked as to how motives could be attributed to him when he was only discharging his duty.

The court fixed the next hearing of the case for January 19 and asked SEC counsel to file his reply.