Bombay HC stays bypolls to four BMC seats till June 12

Mumbai: The Bombay high court  passed an interim stay on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bypoll till June 12.

Four BMC corporators have been disqualified from their posts as their caste certificates were rejected by the caste scrutiny committee.

Second contenders to the seats moved the high court alleging that the Election Commission (EC) had started preparations to conduct bypoll for the same seat.

A vacation bench of the high court said that there were many petitions pending in the high court on the same issue and the EC had therefore decided to hold elections.

A division bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice N. Jamdar was hearing a petition filed by Nitin Salagre of the Congress, Geeta Bhandari, Sandip Naik and Shankar Hundare second contenders from Jogeshwari, Andheri and Kandivali, respectively.

According to the petitioners, they should have been appointed as corporators from their respective areas.

They brought to the notice of the court that they had already filed a petition in the high court, staking their claim on the seat however the EC had gone ahead and started preparations for the election.

The EC counsel informed the court that the EC was only upgrading its voters list and notification had been issued pertaining to upgradation and the decision of conducting the election had not been taken yet.

He also clarified that after inspection of the voters’ list, the election in those wards could be declared.

After hearing both sides, the court directed the EC not to declare elections till June 12 and kept the hearing on June 12.