SHILLONG: The state government has maintained that holding of election of the KHADC CEM and declaration of the result was valid.
Earlier on Friday, soon after the election, the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) represented by its parliamentary party leader James Ban Basaiawmoit filed a case in the High Court of Meghalaya against KHADC and the state government stating that the conduct of the election was in a hurry and not according to the rule.
During the election, NPP’s HS Shylla was elected unopposed since PDF-led People’s Democratic Alliance candidate Grace Mary Kharpuri did not turn up.
An official source said on Monday that during the hearing of the case, the stand of the government was that the conduct of the election and declaration of the result was as per norm.
The case came up for hearing before Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir.
During the hearing, the senior government advocate questioned the maintainability of the petition on the ground that no personal rights of the petitioner have been infringed upon. The counsel for respondents, KHADC and the government, made a submission that there was another development i.e. “election has been held and result has been declared”. When confronted with the position, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that the respondents may be permitted to file affidavit-in-opposition and he may be permitted to supplement his pleadings.
“After filing affidavit-in-opposition by respondents, the issue regarding maintainability will be decided”, the court said, while fixing the hearing after a week.
