A Teller Committee instead of an Election Commission. QR Codes as booth slips. Volunteers from the Bar carefully vetted in lieu of IAS officers as Observers. Local police officials and CISF personnel replacing gun totting para-military forces. Campaigns predominantly through the social media as opposed to blaring loudspeakers and noisy rallies. The recent peaceful conduct of elections for the Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA) has left behind quite a model code that is worthy of replication.
I have covered several Parliamentary and Assembly Elections and high voltage political campaigns in the country, not to forget violent incidents, court battles and controversies, in my previous avatar as a national television journalist. As a practising Advocate, what I recently witnessed first-hand on the Madras High Court campus, especially in light of the previous complaints of ballot boxes being squirreled away, was more than a breath of fresh air.
Right from the display of the list of eligible voters on the MHAA website in advance to the generation of QR Codes for each voter with the photograph and enrolment number printed, from cross checking Identity Cards and photographs clicked of voters to separate colour coded booths with securely cordoned barricades and indelible ink on the index finger (mine still shows after 3 weeks!) the exercise was seamless, foolproof and left no room for disputes.
The Teller Committee headed by Senior Advocate M.K.Kabir and all the members including Tamil Nadu Bar Council Secretary C.Raja Kumar deserve encomiums. What they pulled off, of course with the cooperation of all the voters and candidates, was nothing short of commendable.
The smallest unsavoury incidents involving a few advocates are often blown out of proportion but such positive developments don’t get their due reportage. These are instances that have the potential to alter public perception of this noble profession.
(Sanjay Pinto is an Advocate practising at the Madras High Court, Arbitrator, Legal Columnist, Author of 4 Books & Former Resident Editor of NDTV 24×7)
