Delhi HC CJ recuses herself from hearing pleas seeking to stall 2017 MCD polls

Delhi High Court Chief Justice (CJ) on Wednesday recused herself from hearing pleas seeking to quash the notification laying down the manner of allocation of wards for the reserved categories and women in the upcoming municipal polls in the national capital.

A bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini said the matter will be heard by some other bench, of which she is not a party.

Without assigning any specific reason for recusal, the CJ listed the batch of petitions for hearing on Thursday.

Earlier the CJ had issued notice to the Centre, Delhi state election commission and three municipal corporations in which the election are scheduled to be held for 272 wards in April.

She had directed all concerned authorities to file their responses by Wednesday.

The directions were issued on an NGO’s plea challenging the poll panel’s February 6 notification, announcing the elections to the three municipal corporations.

Subsequently, a social activist had approached the high court seeking stalling of the MCD polls, which was declined by the bench.

Later, a batch of public interest litigations and writ petitions were filed by NGOs and individuals, with all of them being listed for hearing on Wednesday.

In its plea, the NGOs had said the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in 2011 was divided into three - North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

The petitioners sought quashing of the January 13 order with regard to delimitation of 272 wards with the composition of wards in each Assembly constituency.

They said while the number of wards in each of the three corporations, 104 each in SDMC and NDMC and 64 in EDMC has remained same, the number of wards in a few assembly segments, ranging from three to seven, have changed.

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, one of the pleas demanded that it should be quashed and a fresh circular issued in accordance with the law.