Delhi High Court rejects challenge to election symbols allotment rules

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The Delhi Excessive Court docket on Friday turned down a petition difficult the constitutional validity of The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, which regulates the specification, reservation and allotment of electoral symbols to political events and candidates. The court docket held that no case was made out to disrupt the present statutory framework governing elections.

The court docket held that no case was made out to disrupt the present statutory framework governing elections. (Representational Picture)

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A Division Bench comprising Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Anish Dayal declined to entertain the plea moved by the Hind Samrajya Occasion, which had questioned the competence of the Election Fee of India to border and implement the Symbols Order. An in depth copy of the judgement is but to be uploaded.

The petitioner had sought a declaration that the 1968 Order was null and void and had urged the court docket to restrain the ECI from implementing its provisions.

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It was argued that the Order was not framed by the Central Authorities beneath Part 169 of the Illustration of the Individuals Act, 1951, which, in response to the plea, confers rule-making energy solely on the Union authorities after consulting the ECI.

On this foundation, the celebration contended that the Fee lacked unbiased jurisdiction to challenge the Symbols Order. The problem additionally focused paragraphs 6A, 6B and 6C of the Order, which set out the factors for recognition of nationwide and state events.

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Terming these provisions arbitrary and violative of Article 14, the petitioner claimed that each one registered political events represent a single class and that extending reserved symbols and procedural benefits to recognised events discriminates in opposition to newly registered entities. The court docket, nevertheless, discovered no advantage within the submissions and dismissed the petition.