NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MARCH 16
The first bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday pulled up the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC) for not taking stern action against persons who created ruckus during the indirect election of chairman and vice-chairman to Aduthurai town panchayat in Thanjavur district.
After watching the video clippings of the indirect election proceedings held on March 4, the bench of Chief Justice M N Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy expressed its disappointment over lack of strict action against those who created ruckus. Why were they not arrested, the CJ asked.
Granting a day’s time for the TNSEC to act against those involved, the bench adjourned the matter. The bench also observed that except the stray incidents in T Kallupatti in Madurai and Aduthurai in Thanjavur districts, the urban local body polls in the State were, by and large, peaceful. It appears to have been conducted fairly to a great extent, except in the two places which was a black mark, it added.
The bench was passing further interim orders on a PIL petition from Ma Ka Stalin and seven others praying for a direction to the State Election Commission to conduct the indirect election with police protection and CCTV coverage on the date to be announced by the Commission, for Aduthurai panchayat.
