HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court, on Saturday, refused to interfere in the order passed by a single judge, who on Friday had suspended the circular issued by the Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) regarding the counting of votes in the GHMC elections.
The bench suggested that the standing counsel of the SEC file a counter affidavit before the single judge by December 7 for adjudication of the case, which challenged the legality of the letter issued by the SEC. The bench disposed of the appeal filed by the SEC seeking stay on the order passed by the single judge.
On Friday, the single judge had directed the SEC to keep the ballot papers, which are not marked with ‘arrow cross mark’, with itself, and keep a count of the disputed ballot papers that have a ‘distinguished mark’, till the present case was decided. These disputed ballot papers should be kept in safe custody, the bench said.
Further, the court directed the SEC to declare results of those wards where the margin of difference in the votes polled between the first and second candidates was more than the number of disputed ballot papers. The single judge will hear the petition on Monday.