NEW DELHI: Two BJP councillors on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Maharashtra government's ordinance notifying the increase of nine seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for which elections are scheduled in February.
A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana was urged by senior advocate Siddharth Bhatnagar that the appeal of the BJP leaders needed an urgent hearing as polls for the municipal body are round the corner. "Let me see the bundle (case file)," said the CJI who was on the bench with justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli.
"This SLP (special leave petition) arises out of a Bombay High Court order which dismissed our Writ Petition. The writ petition has challenged an ordinance by which certain seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were increased," the senior lawyer, who was assisted by advocate Abhinay Sharma, said.
"What is the urgency," the bench asked. The elections are going to take place in February, the lawyer said which led the CJI to observe that he would look into the files.
Recently, the Bombay High Court dismissed a plea by two BJP councillors -- Abhijit Samant and Rajeshree Shirwadkar -- challenging the November 30 Maharashtra government ordinance that notified the increase of nine seats in the BMC.
The Maharashtra urban development department notification increased the number of BMC seats from 227 to 236 after the proposal was cleared by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.