MPTC ZPTC Polls: AP High Court Quashes Single Bench Orders, Allows Counting of Votes

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has set aside the single bench orders which had earlier cancelled the counting of the MPTC and ZPTC Elections and gave its nod for the counting and to announce the results. On Thursday, the division bench gave the green signal for completion of the poll process, which brought an end to the prolonged legal battle of more than five months and the entire poll procedure which was stretched for more than  18 months. The first poll notification was issued in March 2020 before the COVID pandemic began.

A bench comprising Chief Justice (CJ) Justice Arup Kumar Goswami and Justice J Umadevi passed the orders and gave the green signal for counting of votes and upheld the ZPTC and MPTC elections.

It may be recollected that a single-judge bench ruled that the SEC had not complied with the rules in conducting the elections on April 8. The High Court single judge bench ruled that the ZPTC and MPTC elections held on April 8 should be canceled stating that the notification issued on April 1 was contrary to the Supreme Court order to impose the Election Code four weeks before the polling date.

The State Election Commission (SEC) has filed an appeal before the  Court challenging the judgment of the Single Judge on May 21 ordering the MPTC and ZPTC Elections which were cancelled and have them resumed at the stage from where they were stalled in the past.

However, the SEC and some contestants in the elections have appealed to the high court challenging the verdict and the court had heard the petition on August 5 and the bench comprising Chief Justice AK Goswami and Justice J Umadevi reserved the verdict and the matter had come up for hearing on today. The Parishad elections were conducted for 7,220 MPTC and 515 ZPTC seats for which a total of 20,840 candidates were in the fray. The ruling YSR Congress Party had won 2,271 MPTC and 126 ZPTC seats unanimously.

Also Read: AP High Court: SEC Seeks Quashing Of Orders Cancelling MPTC ZPTC Elections 2021