HC clears decks for counting of votes to Chennai Corp on Oct 20

Chennai, Oct 18 (UNI) Madras High Court today allowed the Tamil Nadu Election Commission to go ahead with counting of votes polled for the violence marred elections to Chennai Corporation on October 20.

Passing interim orders, a division bench comprising Mr Justice S J Mukhopadhya and Mr Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifullah, however, said the commission, while issuing certificates to the successful candidates, should make an endorsement that their election was subject to the final orders to be passed by the court on the writ petitions.

The bench was passing interim order on a batch of writ petitions filed by the opposition AIADMK and others, seeking to declare the October 13 elections to the Corporation null and void and a direction to the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold fresh polls.

The bench also allowed the SEC to conduct repoll in 27 booths, covering 12 wards, which witnessed largescale violence and declare the results after taking up the counting after the repoll on October 20.

While holding repoll in 27 booths, covering 12 wards, the SEC could take up counting of votes in respect of 143 wards on October 20, the bench said.

Counting in respect of 12 other wards, could be taken up after completing the repoll, the bench said and posted the writ petitions to November 6, for further hearing.

The bench passed the interim order after hearing elaborate arguments from the State Government, SEC and the petitioners since yesterday morning.

As the argument remained incomplete, yesterday, the Election Commission, while offering to hold repoll in 27 booths, had given an undertaking to the court that it would not take up counting of votes till the court hearing today.

UNI XR/WS VD GC1942