Interim stay on Pondy civic polls extended till Nov 11

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Thursday extended till November 11, the operation of its earlier order which directed the Puducherry government and the State Election Commission to keep in abeyance all further proceedings in the matter of conducting civic polls in the Union Territory.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu extended the operation of the earlier order, when the PILs from the Muthialpet independent MLA J Pregesh Kumar, DMK MLA R Siva and another person came up again on October 21.

The PILs sought to quash a government order (GO) dated October 6 of the Local Administration Secretariat in Puducherry and the consequential notifications issued by the State Election Commission, on October 7.

Petitioners had contended that by virtue of the impugned notifications passed by the authorities on October 6 and 7, the reservation meant for backward classes and scheduled tribes to contest in the five Municipalities and 10 Commune Panchayats in the Union Territory of Puducherry, had been completely taken away. The extension granted by the first bench follows a submission from the counsel for the Puducherry government and SEC that they need more time to prepare the revised election schedule after identifying wards for candidates belonging to backward classes and scheduled tribes.