Election process will be stayed if no satisfactory reply, HC tells Pondy SEC

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu, which issued the warning today, adjourned the matter till 12.30 p.m. on Friday. If the PSEC fails to respond satisfactorily, a stay would be granted. the bench said. 

It would not be good if the polls are conducted in a situation of complete anarchy, the bench added. The bench was passing further interim orders on a PIL from J Pregash Kumar, an independent MLA from Puducherry's Muthialpet Assembly constituency, who sought to quash a August 23 notification this year and a press release dated September 22 of the Puducherry SEC and consequently direct the authorities concerned to comply with the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes as per Section 9 of the Pondicherry Municipalities Act and Rules 5 and 6 of the Pondicherry Municipalities (Allotment and Rotation and Reserved Seats and Offices) Rules. 

The bench on Wednesday, after holding that a serious anomaly has been shown by the petitioner in how the selection of wards reserved for Scheduled Castes has been made for the Municipality election in Puducherry, had extended till October 4, the time limit for filing nomination for the local body elections to be held in the union territory.