The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) is preparing to hold its annual elections through a virtual platform owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Election Committee of the SCBA has suggested that election should be held virtually using the NSDL platform.
The annuals polls elect the office-bearers of the Executive Committee of the SCBA which governs the Top Court Bar. “The decision has been taken that the third option (holding elections virtually using NSDL platform) is the most suitable option for the purpose of holding the election if it is to be held in the month of January 2021,” said the decision taken in the meeting of the Election Committee.
The Election Committee has considered the following for options to hold the elections.
(i) A physical election
(ii) An election in both modes, namely physical and virtual will be made available to the voters as per their preference.
(iii) The entire election be held virtually using a platform like NSDL.
(iv) The entire election be held virtually on NSDL but with a limited number of computers being made available in the Supreme Court premises for the convenience of those who may not have access to computer or phone.
The options involving physical voting were rejected taking into account the fact that the process of counting physical votes require a large number of volunteers and agents of candidates.
The option of providing limited number of computers for the convenience of those who do not have access to phones and computers, was also rejected for the reason that it would require physical presence of voters at the Supreme Court besides support staff.
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Taking into account the Covid-19 situation, the Committee has opted for the third option. The Election Committee of the SCBA has said that
“as far as the third option is concerned, the Committee has interacted with NSDL and has found that it offers a foolproof method of holding the election virtually in a completely safe manner.”