New Delhi: The Madras High Court on Friday refused to restrain the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission from notifying urban local body elections and deferred hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking postponement of elections due to the third COVID wave till January 24.
According to a report in the news agency, Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice PD Audikesvalu, while hearing a petition seeking postponement of the election till the COVID situation improves, said that the notification has not been issued yet, but it has to be done. can be issued at any time. ANI.
Senior advocate S Prabhakaran, representing Dr M Nakkiran, retired Joint Director, Health Department, one of the petitioners, submitted that the elections should be postponed in the light of the rise in COVID cases and nothing is going to happen in the urban local body elections. Is. are delayed.
Prabhakaran accused the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission of not taking stock of the ground situation on the spike in Covid cases before preparing for the elections, saying that the State Election Commission has not even reviewed the number of containment zones in those places. There is a proposal to hold elections.
Senior advocate Prabhakaran further submitted that the safety and life of the people in Tamil Nadu are involved in this matter and sought postponement of the elections for at least two months till the situation of COVID gets better.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission said that it has already given an undertaking to the Supreme Court to notify the urban local body elections before January 26 this year and protocols have been brought in to control the COVID situation in the state. .
Citing technical difficulties arising over the video call, the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court adjourned the matter for further hearing on Monday.
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