BRS files writ in HC on phone-tapping issue

Hyderabad : Avinash Desai, the standing counsel for the Election Commission, on Thursday informed the Telangana High Court’s division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar that it will take a decision on the BRS complaint on phone-tapping issue dated April 28 by May 3.

The BRS complaint had sought a direction to all parties and their leaders to refrain from making any derogatory and defamatory remarks against its leaders by May 3.

The bench was adjudicating the writ petition filed by M Sreenivas Reddy, BRS general secretary, seeking a direction to the Chief Election Commissioner, to refrain the national as well as State parties and their leaders from making derogatory and scathing remarks against the BRS leaders on the issue during the Lok Sabha election campaigning.

Mayur Reddy, senior counsel appearing for the BRS general secretary, informed the court that leaders of various national and State parties, who are on a whirlwind campaigning, are making “unverified and unsubstantiated statements implicating the BRS leaders and members on phone-tapping issue” without any authenticated material to substantiate their statements.

He described the act of the leaders as ‘violation of Clauses 2 and 4 Model Code of Conduct, the guidelines / instructions issued by the CEC, and violation of Section 123 (4) of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951. The court disposed of the petition.

EC rejects plea of BJP candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy seeking changes in ballot paper

On Thursday the HC division bench refused to pass any orders in the writ filed by Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, the BJP candidate for the Chevella Lok Sabha election, seeking changes in the serial numbers of the ballot paper and disposed of the petition.

The CJ, during the hearing, observed that it is the discretion of the Election Commission to take a call on Reddy’s plea. He said “it is for them (ECI) to accept your representation or reject it…there is no adjudication of the writ petition”.

Avinash Desai, the ECI senior counsel, informed the court that the commission can’t take a call on the petitioner’s representation in view of the model code of conduct in vogue.

The petitioner sought a direction to the ECI to maintain a distance of minimum ten numbers (ten candidates) in the ballot paper between the petitioner and another candidate whose name resembles the petitioner so that there is no confusion amongst the voters while voting. Reddy also sought a direction to the ECI not to finalise the serial numbers of the contesting candidates till the plea of the petitioner to correct / modify / rearrange the serial number is redressed.