Appointment of Observers

617 D.

1. (1) The State Election Commission may nominate an Observer who shall be an officer of Government to watch the conduct of election or elections in a ward or group of wards, of a Municipal Corporation and to perform such other functions as may be entrusted to him by the State Election Commission in relation thereto.
2. (2) The Observer nominated under sub-section (1) shall have the power to direct the Returning Officer for the ward or for any of the wards for which he has been nominated, to stop the counting of votes at any time before the declaration of the result or not to declare the result, if in the opinion of the Observer, booth capturing has taken place at a large number of polling stations or counting of votes or any ballot papers used at a polling station or at a place fixed for the poll are unlawfully taken out of the custody of the Returning Officer or are accidentally or intentionally destroyed or lost or are damaged or tampered with to such an extent that the result of the poll at that polling station cannot be ascertained.
3. (3) Where an Observer has directed the Returning Officer under this section to stop counting of votes or not to declare the result, the Observer shall forthwith report the matter to the State Election Commission and thereupon the State Election Commission shall, after taking all material circumstances into account, issue appropriate directions under section 59A or section 63A or section 65.
4. (4) It shall be competent for the State Election Commission to appoint an election expenditure observer for a group of wards of a Municipal Corporation, so as to ensure that the provisions of Chapter XVIIA are strictly adhered to and in that behalf the Commission may issue such instructions as it deems fit, from time to time, to such Observers.