VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Sunday heard a batch of petitions filed by 18 TDP candidates for the Chittoor Municipal Corporation elections, whose nominations were allegedly withdrawn by using the forged signatures of candidates, seeking court directions to reinstate their candidature.
The petitioners, who moved a House Motion Petition, wanted the court to put on hold the election as was done in the case of seventh ward of the Tirupati Municipal Corporation.
Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, senior counsel Dammalapati Srinivas informed the court that the returning officers allowed withdrawal of nominations considering the pleas for the same filed by forging the signatures of the petitioners.
Srinivas said the ROs had a role in the withdrawal of nominations and that they did not act according to the rule which states that any suspicious person, who is accompanying a candidate, shall be sent out of the office before taking any decision on withdrawal of nomination by a candidate.
The ROs also failed to speak with the candidates directly before announcing the withdrawal of nominations. Srinivas urged the court to instruct the State Election Commission to hold an inquiry into the withdrawal of the nominations in the 18 divisions.
SEC counsel N Aswini Kumar said the Commission received complaints about withdrawal of nominations allegedly by forging the signatures of the candidates on March 5 and that the Commission has the powers to act on the complaints. The Commission has already asked the Chittoor district collector to submit a report, Aswini Kumar said, adding that the same would be submitted to the court.
Government pleader C Suman said the SEC cannot interfere once the process of withdrawal of nominations gets completed. Such issues can be inquired by the Election Tribunal and the petitions do not have maintainability, Suman arguedJustice DVSS Somayajulu, who heard the petitions through videoconference, questioned as to why the courts cannot interfere when there are issues in the election process. The matter was posted for further hearing on Monday.