HC dismisses 22 pleas on Punjab civic body polls

Issues raised included alleged anomalies in delimitation exercise process, objections to delimitation of wards

CHANDIGARH: Paving way for the civic body polls, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday dismissed a total of 22 petitions, alleging anomalies in various processes of civic body polls in Punjab, slated for February 14.

Additional advocate general SPS Tinna confirmed that a total of 22 pleas were dismissed by the high court bench of justices AG Masih and Ashok Kumar Verma. However, detailed judgment is awaited. In one of the pleas, the high court had on November 8 restrained local bodies department to notify final notification of wards of Zirakpur municipal council (MC).

The pleas were filed challenging various processes undertaken by the administrations of municipal corporations of Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Mohali.

The exercises undertaken by other civic bodies of Dera Bassi, Nawanshahr, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Sangrur, among others were also challenged. The issues raised were alleged anomalies in delimitation exercise process, objections to delimitation of wards, arbitrariness in reservation roaster and addition and deletion of votes in certain areas to allegedly favour those in the power in state, as per the lawyers.

The first plea was filed in August challenging the poll exercise undertaken in Mohali and subsequently more pleas filed were clubbed with the case. The cases were heard in over a dozen hearings in the past six months.

Meanwhile, a high court bench on Monday issued notice to Punjab on a plea by one Harwinder Kaur and 29 others from Moga who had demanded that authorities be directed for video recording of nomination process, scrutiny and polling on February 14.

It was stated that the petitioners who belonged to SAD fear that their nomination papers would be rejected arbitrarily, and in a malafide manner. The nomination process is to start on January 30.

FIRST PLEA WAS FILED IN AUG CHALLENGING THE POLL EXERCISE UNDERTAKEN IN MOHALI, LATER MORE PLEAS FILED WERE CLUBBED