The Supreme Court yesterday criticised Janata Dal leader and Union minister Jaipal Reddy for approaching it at the eleventh hour and expressing his inability to oversee the party presidential election as directed last week.
The judges observed that Reddy was acting irresponsibly and the whole exercise appeared to be to hold up the election.
They asked him to file an affidavit showing his bonafides in the matter.
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The vacation bench consisting of Justice Suhas C Sen and Justice S P Kurdukar further indicated that if this was the attitude of the high party leaders, they may have to ask the Election Commission to take over the election which is scheduled to be held on July 3. The last day for filing of objections and scrutiny was yesterday.
We may have to ask the Election Commission to consider what action it proposed to take for non-holding of the presidential elections including derecognition, the judges observed.
They made this remark when senior counsel D D Thakur, counsel for Reddy, said that he was not able to give consent to the order making him along with Madhu Dandavate as one of those persons to conduct the election.
The judges added that if Reddy had any reservations to his appointment he should have approached the court as soon as the order was passed on June 19. After all, the news was flashed in the media.
Counsel said that Reddy was waiting for the copy of the order as the press reports could not be relied in court matters. The judges said that the registrar had sent the order on June 19 itself.
Now we cannot allow the election schedule already drawn up to be upset, the judges observed.
The court said if Reddy files an affidavit showing his bonafides, it would hear the matter on Tuesday. The counsel for Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav wanted the matter to be settled as early as possible. Therefore the case will come again today.