CHENNAI: The first bench of the Madras High Court has refused to dispense with the appearance of State Election Commissioner and its secretary before the court in future hearings.
When a contempt application from the DMK with regard to the delay in holding elections to the local bodies came up, SEC M Malik Ferozh Khan and secretary S Rajasekar appeared before the bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar. Their counsel prayed to the court that their presence at the next hearings may be dispensed with.
Senior counsel P Wilson, who appeared for the DMK, opposed the plea. The bench then adjourned the matter for further hearing on Tuesday,
According to Wilson, about 1.31 lakh posts in corporations, municipalities and panchayats are to be elected by people and they have been vacant for more than one year and the order of the first Bench to hold elections by Nov 17 has been defied.