Election Rules - Form 17C

Published on 25 Aug 2025

• The Supreme Court (SC) has sought responses from the Union government and Election Commission of India (ECI) on a petition challenging government amendments to Election Rules.

• Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 allowed public inspection of all election papers, including CCTV footage and Form 17C (booth level vote details).

• But recent amendments limit public access only to those "specified" excluding electronic records.

• Form 17C, part of the Election Rules, records votes:

• Part 1 (poll day vote total) is filled by the Presiding Officer and given to polling agents.

• Part 2 (candidate-wise vote count) is completed by the Returning Officer after pressing ‘Result’ on the EVM.

• Petitioners allege that the amendment violates the fundamental rights under Article 19 and 21,

Keywords:

Election Rules Form 17C Conduct of Election Rules 1961 Election Commission of India ECI Election elcection rules