The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered that the elections to the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare be held as scheduled on July 16.
Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque, however, directed that the votes cast by 868 members whose membership was disputed be put in a separate box for counting and declaring the result. The court made it clear that the declaration of the result would be subject to any decision to be taken by any competent authority or civil court regarding the membership of 868 persons. The court also directed that the votes cast by all the members be put in a sealed cover and be entrusted with the Thiruvananthapuram Principal District Judge. The court observed that any dispute regarding the identity of voters could be decided by the Returning Officer.
The directives were passed on a petition filed by the State government seeking to defer the scheduled election till a Crime Branch inquiry into allegations of false membership was completed.
