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By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Apr 19 (UNI) The Election Commission today rejected BJP's plea for keeping out Mr Navin Chawla, one of its commissioners, from hearing the petition seeking derecognition of the party in the controversial CD case.

The BJP had contended that there was a pending case against Mr Chawla.

The EC's two-page order, which was pronounced at its sitting this morning, said the mere pendance of case in the Supreme Court against Mr Chawla would not ipso facto lead to conclusion of existence of bias or apprehension about hearing the controversial CD release case.

The Commission has allowed time upto Saturday for the parties to the dispute to make their written submissions and pass an order.

BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP had made it clear that they reserved their right to question the EC's orders at an appropriate judicial forum. Asked when the EC could give its Order, Mr Prasad said he could not hazard any guess.

The BJP in its argument said the EC has the responsibility to hold free, fair and objective elections and should not play the role of an ombudsman in the fight among the parties on competing ideologies if it has to discharge its role.

The party submitted that the Representation of People Act had provisions for qualification and disqualification of elected representatives. The powers to derecognise a political party for violation of Model Code of Conduct was 'sweeping and vague' and the power granted under 16 (a) of the Symbol Order was yet to be tested judicially.

Union Minister Kapil Sibal of Congress and representatives of Bahujan Samaj Party, Jan Morcha and CPI-M submitted their party's views before the EC. BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and General Secretary Arun Jaitley represented their party along with Mr Prasad.

UNI

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