SC rejects PTI's request to issue notice in ECP delimitation case

Justice Ijaz says notices cannot be issued without case first being numbered; orders to assign PTI plea a number

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court (SC) rejected the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) request to issue notices to respondents in the party's plea challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan's delimitation process.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Hasan, who was heading the two-member bench hearing the plea, said notices cannot be issued without the case first being numbered.

The judge then ordered for the plea to be assigned a number. It will now be heard after two weeks..

PTI's counsel Faisal Chaudhry said that the ECP should be prevented from making new constituencies as the process of new delimitation has been started illegally.

Restraining PTI leader Fawad Chaudry from speaking, the court said that only one lawyer could speak in the case.

Read SC returns PTI’s delimitation plea with reservations

“Other issues will be heard after the amended application is numbered,” Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan said.

The PTI on April 19 had moved the top court seeking a declaration that the delimitation schedule announced by the ECP was “illegal’ and "unconstitutional”.

The petition also requested the SC to order the election supervisor and secretary to ensure the upcoming electoral process is in accordance with law and the Constitution and is carried out without wasting any time or creating a delay.

However, on April 22 the SC had returned the petition with reservations, stating that the applicant had not approached the relevant forum.

Today, PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry argued that the plea had been amended as some parties had been changed in the petition.

The court has also allowed the PTI to submit additional documents including the election plan.