Chennai,
Nov 21: The Madras High Court today directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to comply with its
earlier order and hold the by-election to R K Nagar Assembly seat by December 31 this year.
The seat fell vacant following the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on December five last year. The polls were earlier scheduled in the month of April this
year, but was rescinded by the ECI after largescale bribing of voters came to light during the IT raids conducted at the residences of Health Minister Dr C Vijayabaskar and others. When the petition filed by R S Bharathi of DMK seeking a direction to the EC not to hold the bypoll till bogus voters and dual entries were deleted from the electoral rolls in the constituency, came up for hearing, the First Bench comprising
Chief Justice Ms Indira Banerjee and Mr Justice M Sundar asked why the seat has to lie vacant for nearly a year and directed the EC to hold the elections by December 31 this year. During the hearing, counsel for the EC submitted that about 45,000 bogus voters and dual entries were deleted from the rolls, following which the Bench directed it to upload the voters list and related details on its official website. DMK counsel P Wilson submitted that even 50 to 100 votes would play a key role in determining the outcome of the victory and pointed out that the victory margin in Radhapuram Assenmbly constituency was just 42 votes. After hearing both the sides, the Bench said there was no change in its earlier stand that the bypoll to RK Nagar seat should be conducted before the end of this year and directed the EC to issue necessary notification in the first week of December and hold the bypoll by December 31.
year, but was rescinded by the ECI after largescale bribing of voters came to light during the IT raids conducted at the residences of Health Minister Dr C Vijayabaskar and others. When the petition filed by R S Bharathi of DMK seeking a direction to the EC not to hold the bypoll till bogus voters and dual entries were deleted from the electoral rolls in the constituency, came up for hearing, the First Bench comprising
Chief Justice Ms Indira Banerjee and Mr Justice M Sundar asked why the seat has to lie vacant for nearly a year and directed the EC to hold the elections by December 31 this year. During the hearing, counsel for the EC submitted that about 45,000 bogus voters and dual entries were deleted from the rolls, following which the Bench directed it to upload the voters list and related details on its official website. DMK counsel P Wilson submitted that even 50 to 100 votes would play a key role in determining the outcome of the victory and pointed out that the victory margin in Radhapuram Assenmbly constituency was just 42 votes. After hearing both the sides, the Bench said there was no change in its earlier stand that the bypoll to RK Nagar seat should be conducted before the end of this year and directed the EC to issue necessary notification in the first week of December and hold the bypoll by December 31.
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