The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed forensic audit of CCTV cameras regarding recently concluded Contai municipality polls. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory ( CFSL), Delhi will conduct the forensic audit and will submit a report to the court in a sealed cover within six weeks.
“Having regard to the above analysis, we are of the opinion that not only to ascertain the compliance of earlier orders of this court but in the larger public interest and to uphold democratic principles, it is necessary to get forensic audit of CCTV footage of Contai municipal election done,” a Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj said in the order. The Bench also directed that the State Election Commission will send the CCTV footage of the Contai municipal election to Delhi in 10 days.
“While sending the CCTV footage as above, the State Election Commission will duly mark the concerned polling booth number to which each footage relates to; the CFSL will carry out the forensic audit of CCTV footage and ascertain if booth capturing, EVM tampering, forged voting ( chhapa voting), violence, etc. had taken place in the respective polling booth,” the order pointed out.
