Latest News | HC Calls Reasons for Deferring Indirect Elections in Salem District

Chennai, Mar 10 (PTI) The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC) to file an affidavit giving the reasons for indefinitely deferring the indirect elections for certain town panchayats in Salem district, scheduled for March 4.

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CCTV footage will be called for if the affidavit, to be filed before March 14, is not up to the mark, the first bench of Chief Justice M N Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy warned.

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The bench was passing interim orders on a batch of writ petitions/PILs from the elected councillors, mostly belonging to the AIADMK and independent candidates, alleging various irregularities committed by the those belonging to the ruling DMK with the connivance of the election and police officials concerned.

When the indirect elections for Belur, Kadayampatti, Vanavasi and Nangavalli town panchayats in Salem district commenced on March 4, the councillors belonging to the DMK and its allies, created a ruckus, the petitioners alleged.

They resorted to violent activities such as breaking the tables and chairs and manhandled their opponents.

The respective police officers remained silent spectators. Finally, the officials concerned deferred the indirect elections to some other date, to be announced subsequently, they said.

Hence, they moved the High Court with the present writ petitions/PILs for a direction to the authorities concerned to take appropriate disciplinary action against the respective local police officers and election officials, appoint Election Officers/Returning Officers not below the rank of Sub-Collector to monitor the indirect election for the posts of Town Panchayat presidents, vice-presidents and conduct the same on the date to be fixed by the SEC, peacefully.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)