The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday came in for strong reprimand by Madras High Court for conducting elections in the time of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. In stinging remarks, the court said that poll panel should be booked under murder charges too, reports PTI. Assembly elections are being held in five states and votes will be counted on May 2.

The two-judge bench of the court called ECI the “the most irresponsible institution” for the alleged spread of the second wave of COVID-19 in the country, the agency reports. The judges also warned that they would not hesitate from stopping the counting of votes on May 2.

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The bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the observation while hearing a a public interest writ seeking a direction to authorities to ensure fair counting of votes on May 2 in Tamil Nadu’s Karur by taking effective steps and proper arrangements with COVID-19 protocols.

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In the Karur constituency, 77 candidates are in the fray. It would be very difficult to accommodate all the agents in the counting hall, the petition said. It may affect observance of the protocols, it alleged.

When the counsel for the EC told the judges that all necessary steps were underway, the bench retorted that by allowing the political parties to take out rallies and meetings, it had paved the way for the resurgence of the second wave of COVID-19.

The states in the middle of polls are Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Assam (voting concluded in all states) and West Bengal (one of eight phases is left).

As COVID numbers spiked in the country, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the EC to club the last three phases into one. But, apart from imposing some restrictions, the poll body stayed with the original schedule.