HC questions EC’s right to interfere in party elections

While issuing notices, a single judge vacation bench of Justice Cyric Joseph asked them to express their views on the question of Election Commission’s power to interfere in the organisation poll. The petition was filed through Senior Counsel O P Sharma along with R K Rathore and K C Kaushik. In a related development, however, the court refused to grant a stay on the counting of the Congress presidential elections on the ground that it will not interfere as the process was already on.

Seeking quashing of the June 7 order of the Election Commission rejecting his petition for setting aside Congress organisation elections, Sharma, in his 28-page petition also urged to the court to issue of writ mandamus prohibition certiorari or any other direction declaring the so-called election of the sub-committees of the Indian National Congress as null and void and ultra vires of the party constitution.