Delhi high court declines to ask EC to stay RK Nagar bypoll

With the court refusing to “delve” into the matter as the by-election is scheduled for December 21, the petitioner withdrew his plea which was “dismissed as withdrawn”.

On the eve of the RK Nagar bypoll in Tamil Nadu, the Delhi high court declined on Wednesday to pass any order directing the Election Commission to put on hold the election.

AIADMK supporters wearing masks embossed with the image of late CM J Jayalalithaa while seeking votes for party candidate E Madusudanan at RK Nagar constituency on Monday. (PTI)

Justice Indermeet Kaur also declined to pass any order directing a CBI probe into complaints and allegations of widespread corrupt practices in connection with the bypoll.

With the court refusing to “delve” into the matter as the by-election is scheduled for December 21, the petitioner withdrew his plea which was “dismissed as withdrawn”.

The court, however, directed the commission to look into the representation given by the petitioner on December 7, alleging widespread corrupt practices in connection with the bypoll, and to dispose it of within four weeks.

The petitioner, J M Rafi, had sought directions to the EC to reconsider holding of the bypoll in RK Nagar on December 21 in view of the complaints of widespread corrupt practices in connection with the election.

In his plea filed through advocates Astha Tyagi and C Kannan, he had also asked for a CBI probe into the complaints.

Rafi, a member of some local religious group, had also sought directions to the poll panel to decide his representation of December 7.