Madras HC ticks off State Election Commission over elections to local bodies

As per Justice Kirubakaran’s order, the local body elections should have been concluded by December 31, 2016. But the polls had been postponed on one pretext or the other, the judge said. 

CHENNAI: “Do you have any real interest in holding elections to the local bodies?” Madras High Court judge N Kirubakaran asked the State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday when a contempt application from one of the candidates whose nomination papers were rejected came up for hearing.


As per Justice Kirubakaran’s order, the local body elections should have been concluded by December 31, 2016. The order had not been stayed by any division bench. But the polls had been postponed on one pretext or the other, the judge said. 


When he referred to SEC’s submission made before the first bench – before which an appeal was filed by it challenging his earlier orders cancelling the elections that were slated to be held in October last – that it may be practically difficult to conduct the elections by May 14, the SEC counsel replied that no such statement was made. He blamed the media for misreporting the statement.

The judge, however, advised him not to blame the media. 


The counsel submitted that the SEC would like to implement all directions of the court and it has also started the poll process. The judge then said that he would wait for the result of the writ appeal and adjourned the matter till April 3.

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