New Delhi, Nov 07: The Delhi High Court today refused to issue directions to the Election Commission on a petition seeking rescheduling of the polling date in four states where the campaign largely overlapped the holy month of Ramazan. Justice B D Ahmed declined to grant relief to petitioner Naushad Khan on the ground that courts cannot interfere in the election process once it is set in motion.
The court also took note of the fact that polling would take place four-five days after Eid festival and the Muslim electorate would get time to take part in the poll process.
In his petition filed through counsel Mohsin Israily, Khan had requested the court to direct the Election Commission to fix another date for polling in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where voters would exercise their franchise on December one.
The petitioner, who had earlier made a representation to the commission in this regard, submitted that resheduling of the election would allow the Muslim voters (constituting about 25 per cent of the electorate) to participate in the election campaign.
The court also refused to issue any directions on Khan's plea for publication of Delhi electoral rolls in Urdu after Commission's counsel P R Chopra informed that the demand has already been conceded with regard to seven constituencies where Urdu literate voters were over 20 per cent of the total electorate.
Bureau Report