Voter verification: SC to hear CM’s plea against rigging proceedings

Qaim Ali Shah, Nawab Ali Wassan had challenged the tribunal proceedings against their victory.

KARACHI: Next week, the Supreme Court (SC) is set to take up the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah's petition against the election tribunal's proceedings into alleged rigging and irregularities in the May 11 general elections.

This was disclosed on Monday before a larger bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) during the hearing the two petitions filed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders, Shah and Nawab Ali Wassan, against the tribunal's proceedings against their victory.

The larger bench, comprising Justices Munib Akhtar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah, adjourned the hearing on the petitions till August 29.

History

Both PPP leaders had previously successfully obtained a stay against the orders of the tribunal, which had directed the National Database and Registration Authority to verify the thumb impressions of voters on the ballots polled in the constituencies of PS-29, won by Shah, and NA-215, from where Wassan was the returned candidate.

Larger bench

As the number of petitions against the tribunals' proceedings increased, the SHC chief justice constituted a larger bench to decide on the constitutional question of whether an interlocutory order made by the election tribunal could be challenged before the high court.

Following weeks of hearings, the SHC larger bench had on May 27 recalled and vacated its previous stay orders and ruled that it had no jurisdiction to pass interlocutory orders against the tribunals proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th,2014.