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Sachar moots role of non-official observers
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, Dec 29: Former Delhi High Court chief justice and noted human right activist Rajindar Sachar has urged Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill and leaders of political parties to allow ``non-official observers'' to act in sensitive constituencies for conducting impartial, free and fair elections in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.Fearing large-scale booth capturing, use of firearms to prevent genuine voters from exercising their franchise, Sachar said, ``The non-official observers selected by us will be non-political, impartial and non-committed to any political party or candidate. The whole purpose is that in the sensitive constituencies which necessarily entail a great deal of interest of public, a reassurance is given that apart from the report of the officials that election had been fair, the same is reinforced by the report of the impartial and objective non-official observers.'' Besides the Chief Election Commissioner, the former chief justice has also written letters to presidents of all
parties -- Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal, Communist Party of India, Communist Party-Marxist, Congress and the United Front -- pointing out that non-official observers are appointed in Bangladesh and Pakistan during general elections.
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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