SEC apologises for not holding civic polls

Senior Counsel P Wilson arguing before the first bench, comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar, hearing the contempt plea, said TNSEC was attempting to seek shelter under the garb of an executive ordinance removing certain provisions pertaining to 2006 and 2011 polls from not notifying the elections. 

Pointing out that the mandate of TNSEC was to hold the local body elections, he said that the TNSEC was instead playing into the hands of the government doing all it can for not holding the elections. Noting that despite the High Court reserving its order, the state in the intervening period and that too on a Sunday had come out with the ordinance, which clearly revealed the ulterior motive. But interestingly, the amendments made had nothing to do with the present elections and had not made the TNSEC helpless, since Section 43 remained to notify the elections. 

However, the TNSEC Commissioner M Malik Ferozh Khan and secretary TS Rajasekar, who were present in the court, filed an affidavit tendering an unconditional apology for their failure to conduct local body election, as directed by the court. 

Listing out the preparatory steps taken by the commission for conducting civic polls as directed by the court, the plea said, “The SEC has highest regards and respect for the court and the orders passed by the court. There is no willful intention at all in any way to disobey the orders. The commission has great regard and respect to implement the orders of the court.”