Poll candidates’ health: Law panel impleaded

Justice N Kirubakaran, before whom the plea came up for hearing, impleaded the law commission after Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan sought time to get suggestions from the Law Commission of India. 

Petitioner SV Subbaiah, a voter from Thatharavuthar village at Anamalai in Pollachi, sought a direction to the State Election Commission to require candidates contesting in his constituency for the local bodies to disclose information about their health by way of a medical report to enable him to make a decision to elect a hale and healthy candidate to ensure healthy representation. 

He had submitted that an elected representative, who is the voice of a voter, may become bedridden after the elections due to some chronic illness and thus could be prevented from attending sittings of the forum for the rest of his/ her tenure and under such circumstances the voter will be the loser. 

Earlier, Justice Kirubakaran had suo motu impleaded the Union of India and the Election Commission of India about seeking MP and MLA candidates to also disclose their health information during elections, when it was informed by the State Election Commission that there was no statute in this regard and hence it can’t ask the candidates to file a report about their health status.