P.SINGARAVEL Vs. CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner and the learned Special Government Pleader appearing for the respondents.

(2.) The Writ petitioner is a practicing Lawyer. He wanted to contest in the bye-election for Ottapidaram reserved Constituency that is to be held on 19.05.2019. The petitioner's nomination was rejected on the ground that he failed to enclose the extract of electoral roll and the original Community Certificate before the scrutiny time i.e., 11.00 a.m. on 30.04.2019. The Returning officer, therefore, passed the impugned order dated 30.04.2019 rejecting the Writ petitioner's nomination. The said rejection order is under challenge in this Writ petition.

(3.) The learned counsel appearing for the Writ petitioner reiterated all the grounds set out in the affidavit filed in support of the Writ petition. His principal contention is that the Writ petitioner's name is very much found in the electoral roll and that he belongs to S.C. Community. Unfortunately, there was a minor delay in submitting these two documents. The learned counsel seriously faulted the conduct of the Returning officer in hastily rejecting his nomination. He wanted this Court to interfere in the matter. Since it may take time to decide the matter, he wanted this Court to grant an interim order restraining the holding of the election on the notified day. In the alternative, he prayed for an interim direction for directing the Returning officer to accept his nomination.