Chennai: Stating that there has been legal impediment to conduct local body polls the State Election Commission has requested the Madras high court to modify or keep in abeyance of its recent order in connection with local body polls.
The Commissioner of State Election Commission, M Malik Feroz Khan, has submitted that "because of the repealing of certain sections of Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act, 1994, Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, Madurai City Municipal Corporation Act and the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation Act by the state government on September 03, 2017, there is a legal disability in the conducting the local body elections."
Khan said the commission was unaware of the amendment to the Act passed by the state government on September 3, 2017, which repealed the sections of the Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act 1994. This had changed legal position and in view of this only Supreme Court could give suitable directions as the issues are intimately connected to delimitation and consequently reservation for any ward for which could be held.
The SEC filed Interim Application before the Supreme Court on September 7, 2017, and another application on September 8, 2017 and the matter could not be mentioned or brought for hearing as prayed the high court to modify the prescribed time limit or keep in abeyance.
