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EC seeks undertaking from Chhattisgarh govt on school bags
New Delhi, Nov 16: The Election Commission has said it is ready to lift the ban on procurement of five lakh school bags meant for SC/ST children with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi`s photograph on them if the state government gives an undertaking that it will not distribute the same before the state assembly elections.
New Delhi, Nov 16: The Election Commission has said
it is ready to lift the ban on procurement of five lakh school
bags meant for SC/ST children with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
Ajit Jogi's photograph on them if the state government gives
an undertaking that it will not distribute the same before the
state assembly elections.
"We do not have any problems in allowing procurement of
school bags provided the Chhattisgarh government undertakes
not to distribute the same till completion of the electoral
process in the state", Election Commission counsel Pankaj Rai
Chopra told Justice B D Ahmed of the Delhi High Court.
Justice Ahmed had earlier asked the commission to clarify its stand on its October 24 directive to the state government to stop distribution as well as procurement of school bags.
The court would hear the matter next week.
Petitioner D M Pocketwalla, who bagged the order for the supply of school bags with Jogi's photograph printed on them, has challenged the commission's ban on procurement, saying it would jeopardise the whole contract.
"It is understandable that the commission stopped distribution of school bags to enforce the model code of conduct in view of the forthcoming elections, but it could not have stopped the procurement as the contract was entered into much before the elections were announced", Pocketwalla's counsel Vipin Nair had submitted.
Chopra maintained it was a routine practice to enforce model code of conduct after announcement of polls.
Bureau Report
Justice Ahmed had earlier asked the commission to clarify its stand on its October 24 directive to the state government to stop distribution as well as procurement of school bags.
The court would hear the matter next week.
Petitioner D M Pocketwalla, who bagged the order for the supply of school bags with Jogi's photograph printed on them, has challenged the commission's ban on procurement, saying it would jeopardise the whole contract.
"It is understandable that the commission stopped distribution of school bags to enforce the model code of conduct in view of the forthcoming elections, but it could not have stopped the procurement as the contract was entered into much before the elections were announced", Pocketwalla's counsel Vipin Nair had submitted.
Chopra maintained it was a routine practice to enforce model code of conduct after announcement of polls.
Bureau Report