The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the State Election Commission on a plea to hold the by-elections in 13 wards and fill “casual vacancies” in the councillorship in all the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD).
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath has asked the poll panel to give their response before the next date of hearing on September 23.
A 20-year-old law student Sanjana Gahlot filed a PIL after she saw the poor condition of her village in west Delhi and later came to know that there was no councillor to look after the civic issues.
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“Effluent water was overflowing from the drains all over the streets. Filth spread here and there and the entire village was having foul smell,” the plea said, adding the “State Election Commission is duty-bound to fill these vacancies as soon as possible.” “A councillor is the most important elected representative in a ward who addresses issues such as sanitation, cleanliness, development,” the Public Interest Litigation stated.
RTI reply
She also contended that as per an RTI reply she received from the department the councillors of nine wards had resigned from their position in December 2013 after being elected as MLAs in the Delhi Assembly elections.
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Four more resigned after the February 2015 Assembly polls. No by-elections have been held to fill the vacancies, it said, adding that “democratic and Constitutional rights of the public to elect and choose their representative... has been snatched away by the state election commission, NCT of Delhi. It did not fill casual vacancies or follow the mandatory provisions of law...,” the PIL stated.
Seven wards in the South municipal corporation, four in North and two in the East are currently without councillors.— PTI