The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to file a counter affidavit to a public interest litigation petition filed by the Students Council of Madurai Medical College seeking a direction to the authorities not to include the college as a counting centre for the upcoming General Elections and future elections.
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A Division Bench of Justices D. Krishnakumar and R. Vijayakumar sought the response from the ECI. The students said that the Government Medical College was attached to Government Rajaji Hospital. If the college was selected as a counting centre, it would be under the control of the authorities.
The students said that civil works would be carried out on the premises. Temporary and new structures would be put up to provide space for counting rooms and strong rooms to store Electronic Voting Machines.
They said that this would affect the academic activities of the college and the medical students will not have access to the college building. In the past, theory and practical classes had to be cancelled. Cancellation of classes would adversely impact the academic excellence of the students. The patients would be subjected to unnecessary hardship as the laboratories were functioning on the medical college campus. An alternative centre should be selected in order to ensure smooth functioning of the college, they said. The court adjourned the hearing in the case by a week.