HC stays GHMC elections

Hyderabad, July 29 :-

  The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday stayed the holding of elections for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (ghmc) and posted the case for further hearing in the third week of August.

The Bench felt that delimitation of wards and the reservation of wards to Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were not done scientifically.

The bench was dealing with a batch of writ petitions which were filed against the reservation process and discrepancies in the electoral lists and also delimitation of wards and the reservation of wards to Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Court also told the Advocate-General, Mr D V Seetharam Murthy that no notification will be issued for conducting elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The bench reminded that once the notification is issued there is bar to adjudicate the cases.

With this the government would conduct the elections to the GHMC likely in the months of October or November.

Reacting to the High Court stay, the GHMC officials said that they would approach the Supreme Court soon on this issue.

Commenting on the High Court stay, the State Election Commissioner A V S Reddy said that the Election Commission had no role either to decide on divisions’ delimitation or reservation as these were Government’s prerogatives.