Parties move HC on conduct of polls

CHENNAI: DMK, PMK and sitting Mayor M Subramanian have moved the Madras High Court with various prayers relating to the conduct of elections to the local bodies on October 17.Advocate G Poonkundran of Tiruvanmiyur, a public interest writ petitioner, has also filed a contempt application seeking to punish SEC S Ayyar, SEC secretary VM Xavier Chrisso Nayagam, Returning Officer/Chennai Corporation Commissioner Karthikeyan under the Contempt of Court Act, allegedly for deliberately disobeying the HC’s orders passed on October 14. While passing orders on a batch of over 170 writ pleas, the first bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam on October 14 had directed the SEC to videograph polling at all the booths in the city and sensitive booths in the districts.The bench also directed the authorities to install web camera if possible, besides certain directions regarding usage of police personnel drawn from other states and the central CRPF.In his writ plea, DMK Legal Wing State secretary RS Bharathi contended that large-scale booth capturing, rigging and bogus voting took place on October 17. AIADMK MLAs and ministers entered into the booths with goondas with the connivance of cops and indulged in malpractices.He prayed for a direction to the authorities to conduct re-poll in 239 booths. His interim prayer was to restrain them from counting on October 21.Similarly, PMK Mayoral candidate AK Moorthy and sitting Mayor Subramanian prayed for a direction to the SEC to cancel the entire election on October 17 and order fresh polls by following the directions given by the HC.SEC secretary and RO Karthikeyan, Poonkundran alleged that the SEC and his subordinates wantonly disobeyed the HC’s October 17 order.  They were violated with impunity for obvious reasons, he said. All the pleas are likely to come up before the bench on Wednesday.