Delhi HC refuses to stall 2017 MCD polls

The Delhi High Court today refused to stall the upcoming MCD polls for 272 wards in the national capital.
"No process has been initiated so far in relation to the municipal corporations election in the city. Therefore, no interim order is required at this stage," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said.
The court said so while hearing a plea by a social worker seeking quashing of the notification laying down the manner of allocation of wards for reserved categories and women in the MCD polls, scheduled to be held in April.
Petitioner Soma Rani also sought stay on the operation of the notification the poll panel's February 6 notification, announcing the election in three corporations.

The court said that similar issues had been raised by some other petitioner in which it had sought replies of the Centre and the AAP government.
Let this matter be also taken up alongwith that petition on March 8, the court said.

Besides the Centre and the Delhi government, it issued notice to Delhi state election commission and sought their replies before the next date of hearing.
The petitioner also sought quashing of the January 13 order with regard to delimitation of 272 wards with the composition of wards in each Assembly constituency.
It said while the number of wards in each of the three corporations - 104 each in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and 64 in East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has remained same, the number of wards in a few assembly segments has changed, ranging from three to seven.

The other plea by the NGO 'We the citizens', which will be heard on March 8, has said that Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in 2011 was divided into three zone -- NDMC, EDMC and SDMC. In 2012, ahead of the MCD elections, a notification was issued regarding allocation of wards amongst schedule caste, women and general category.
Claiming that the present notification was contrary to the Constitution as well as Section 3 of the DMC Act, both the petitioner demanded that it should be quashed and a fresh circular issued in accordance with law.
Both sought direction to identify and determine the municipal wards for the purpose of reservation for schedule caste, women and general category in terms of Article 243T of the Constitution. The Article provides for reservation of seats for the schedule caste in the municipal area by rotation to different constituency in the municipality.