New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the petition seeking cancellation of the by-election for Karnal Assembly constituency. In fact, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had justified the Election Commission’s holding of elections on the vacant seat after the resignation of the then CM of the state, Manohar Lal Khattar. It was said in the petition that when the tenure of the Assembly is less than one year, the Election Commission does not have the authority to conduct elections.
The Supreme Court has refused to interfere in the order of Punjab and Haryana High Court to maintain the by-election for Karnal Assembly constituency. The Supreme Court said that your aim was to stop the elections, we will not allow it.
Challenging the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the petition was filed in the Supreme Court based on the decision of the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court to cancel the by-election for the Akola assembly seat. The Election Commission has also decided to approach the Supreme Court against the order of the Nagpur Bench.
The petition to cancel the by-election was filed in the Supreme Court by Kunal of Karnal. He told that on March 13, the then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had resigned from his post. After passing the majority, he also resigned from the membership of the Assembly, after which the Assembly seat became vacant. The petition cited Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, under which if the tenure of the Assembly is less than one year, the Election Commission does not have the right to conduct by-elections.
However, the Supreme Court said that if the assembly elections are to be held in less than a year, then the legal question of whether by-elections are required or not will be considered later by the Supreme Court. The apex court reserved its decision on this matter.
,
Tags: election commission, Manohar Lal Khattar, punjab haryana news live, Supreme Court
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 26, 2024, 16:08 IST