HC stays election to Bathinda ZP posts

Sukhmeet Bhasin

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 2

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed stay on the election to the Bathinda Zila Parishad chairperson and vice-chairman held on December 20 last year.

With this, the two officials — Manjit Kaur (chairperson) and advocate Guriqbal Singh Chahal (vice-chairperson) — will be barred from taking any decision. All their rights have also been taken back.

The stay comes on a petition filed by Sukhpal Kaur, who was a candidate for the chairperson’s post, and her supporters. She, along with her supporters, submitted that the Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, was violated during the elections.

This has brought infighting in the Congress out in the open again as Manjit Kaur reportedly belongs to Revenue Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar’s group, while Sukhpal Kaur is the wife of Congress leader from Bathinda rural Manjit Singh.

The petitioners submitted there were two or more candidates in fray for the two posts, but elections were held by raising hands, which was wrong.

The High Court has directed the district authorities to present the entire record by March 24.