National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: ONLINE
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial of the Lahore High Court has put off till October 8 National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s plea challenging an Election Commission order for the NA-122 returning officer to inspect the votes cast in the May 11 general elections.
The chief justice directed Sadiq’s counsel and PTI chief Imran Khan’s lawyers to present their final arguments at the next hearing.
Sadiq edged out Khan for the NA-122 seat in the general elections, but Khan asked the ECP to order an inspection of the electoral record. His request was granted on June 18.
Sadiq said in the petition that he had no objection to the inspection of the election record under Section 45 of the Representation of the People Act of 1976, apart from the ballot papers.
The returning officer had by this stage forwarded the election records to the ECP, he said, as he had completed his job. The RO does not have the jurisdiction to comply with the ECP’s order, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2013.
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