MPHC modifies order on cooperatives' polls

Jabalpur, Feb 15 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court today modified its February 9 order and restricted the withholding of poll results to only those cooperative bodies whose elections were challenged.

Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik and Justice Krishna Kumar Lahoti heard public interest pleas by Mr Shankar Pratap Singh Bundela and 18 others who alleged irregularities in the ongoing poll process.

February 26 was fixed as the next date for hearing.

The bench directed the Cooperatives Department to present a list of those bodies that had challenged the hustings.

''The department took decisions aimed at benefitting the state's ruling party in the elections. The Registrar (Cooperatives) and the department's officials struck names off the electoral list at will,'' petitioners' Counsel Rajendra Tiwari submitted.

The pleas alleged that the state government amended the Cooperatives Act and was conducting the polls in haste to secure a loan from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

The court was urged to annul the December 19, 2006 notification for the elections.

UNI