A division bench of the Telangana High Court, on Monday, directed the State government and State Election Commission (SEC) to file counter affidavit by Tuesday in the PIL challenging the SEC’s order directing the State to put on hold the registration and distribution of relief to the flood affected-families in Greater Hyderabad area till completion of GHMC elections in the city.
The bench passed this order in the PIL filed by advocate S Sharath Kumar with a plea to stay operation of the impugned order and to direct the State government to ensure distribution of `10,000 as aid to the needy people through online method.
The petitioner advocate told the court that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) promulgated by the Election Commission of India were applicable to the respective State Election Commissions. As per the ECI, when any State is hit by a natural calamity like floods and so on, the relief amount could be disbursed to the affected persons or families under intimation to the EC, he argued.
Meanwhile, standing counsel for SEC G Vidya Sagar submitted that when MCC come into force, none of the Ministers, MLAs and others, should disburse the State’s money even if it was a natural calamity. After hearing the case, the bench posted the matter to Tuesday for hearing.