The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday ordered notice to the Election Commission of India and the State on a public interest litigation petition filed by the Students Council of the Madurai Medical College seeking a direction to the authorities not to include the college as a counting centre for the upcoming General Elections and other future elections.
A Division Bench of Justices D. Krishnakumar and R. Vijayakumar sought response from the authorities concerned to the petition filed by the Students Council of the Medical College. The petitioners said that the Government Medical College was attached to Government Rajaji Hospital.
They said that if the college was selected as a counting centre, it would be under the control of the authorities. Civil works would be carried out on the premises and temporary and new structures put up to provide space for the counting rooms and the strong rooms to store the 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 petitioners said.
The petitioners pointed out that the Government Rajaji Hospital provides tertiary care to millions of patients. The patients would be subjected to unnecessary hardship as the laboratories were functioning on the medical college campus. Therefore, the authorities should consider the representation made by the students and not include the Madurai Medical College as a counting centre for the upcoming and future elections.
An alternative centre should be selected in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the college, the petitioners said. The hearing was adjourned till January 23.
