HC junks plea for stay on Delhi elections

Delhi High Court today dismissed a plea seeking a stay on the assembly elections scheduled here for February 7 on the ground that it would impose a huge burden on the public exchequer.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher refused to grant any of the prayers, including setting aside of the Lt Governor's decision to dissolve the last assembly, sought in the petition, saying "new elections are on and nothing is left in the petition".
"If you have any grievance, come after the elections," the court said.
The petitioner, Bam Bam Maharaj, had also sought that the MLAs of the last assembly be declared to have disrupted good governance and costs be imposed on them for the same as well as for causing the re-election.

During brief arguments, he said that once the assembly was suspended in February last year, polls for a new government should have been held along with Lok Sabha elections to save public money.
He also argued that cost of the upcoming Delhi polls should be imposed on the MLAs of the last assembly.
Interestingly, the petitioner claimed he had the support of several MLAs of the last assembly which was conveyed to the LG, despite which he was not invited to form government.
The bench while refusing to grant any relief sought by him, suggested that he should withdraw the present petition and file a fresh one along with the letters of support of the MLAs. However, since he refused to withdraw his plea, the court dismissed it.