UP Assembly Polls 2022- Can Officers Who Are Susceptible To COVID Be Given Online Training?: Allahabad HC Asks ECI

The Allahabad High Court has asked the Election Commission of India as to whether it can provide training to the election officers (who are susceptible to COVID), for the upcoming assembly polls in the State via online mode.

Essentially, an education institution named Dayalbagh Education Institute has moved the High Court with its writ petition submitting that the Election Commission of India is set to train 324 individuals presently working with the institution for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls 2022.

It was further submitted before the Bench of Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav that out of 324 individuals, 194 persons had been called for training on 24th and 25th January 2022, and that out of 194 individuals, a few of them were suffering from such diseases which would make them susceptible to Covid-19 infection.

Against this backdrop, the petitioner institute argued before the Court that some of the family members of these individuals had been ill in the past and if, during the training, certain infection is carried home, then it would jeopardize the interest of the family members also.

Therefore, it has been prayed by the petitioner institute that those individuals who are susceptible to COVID be trained online by the ECI.

In this regard, the Bench asked Senior Advocate Rakesh Pande assisted by Ashutosh Mishra (appearing for the ECI), to seek instructions as to whether training through online mode can be given to such individuals who were immunocompromised and whose family members were at risk.

The Court also referred to the guidelines of the Election Commission issued in this regard wherein it has been stated that the commission shall take measures to curb the spread of COVID and for the said purpose, training for election officials can be organized through online mode.

With this direction, the Court has now put the matter for further hearing on January 24, 2022. Advocates Kartikeya Saran and Ujjawal Satsangi appeared for the petitioner institute.

Case title - Dayalbagh Education Institute v. Election Commission Of India And 2 Others

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