SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government and State Election Commission (SEC) have been directed by the High Court of Bombay at Goa to respond to a petition challenging the upcoming election process of the Zilla Panchayat (ZP).
Activists Sudip Tamhankar and Keval Palyekar moved the High Court stating that ZP polls are scheduled as per the old notification, which is not valid, after the code was lifted.
“The SEC in February 2020 had declared to hold the ZP elections on March 22. But due to COVID-19 and lockdown, it was rescheduled and the SEC in the meantime lifted the election code,” the petitioners said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in a recent media interaction announced that ZP polls will be held in December with the SEC to finalise the dates. This prompted the activists to move the High Court through their counsel Advocate Dattaprasad Lavande.
The petition states that a new notification needs to be issued for the ZP polls, process which has not been followed in the present circumstance. “After the Election Code of Conduct was lifted, the old notification does not stand legally. The authority concerned has to issue a fresh notification,” revealed a source.
The court, on Wednesday, while hearing the petition issued notices to the government and SEC returnable on December 8.
