Bedi hails Madras HC order on selection process of Pondy SEC

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi

on Friday said the Madras High Court order upholding her selection process for State Election Commissioner (SEC) has cleared the way for local body polls after 10 years in the Union Territory.

"It is time to celebrate the return of democracy at the grass root level in Puducherry," she said hailing the high court judgement delivered on Thursday.

In a setback to the Congress government in Puducherry, the Madras High Court had dismissed a PIL filed by Local Administration Minister A Namassivayam against formulation of a selection process for appointment of the SEC by Bedi.

The matter relates to the appointment of Balakrishannan as the SEC by the Puducherry Council of Ministers on May 25, 2018 for conduct of local body polls based on an assembly resolution.

 

The Lt Governor did not approve the appointment and in December last year quashed it as 'null and void ab initio' and formulated the scheme for filling the post and gave a newspaper advertisement calling for applications.

Challenging this, Namassivayam moved the high court through a public interest litigation seeking to declare the LG's order as arbitrary and ultra vires of the Constitution.

The court held that the scheme adopted by the Administrator cannot be faulted with as it had been formulated after getting concurrence from the Union Home Ministry.

In her whatsapp message to the media, Bedi said the court verdict "clears the way for local body elections in Puducherry after a gap of ten years," during which there was no participation by grass root level stakeholders.

"Now the way is cleared for holding the polls, thanks to collective determination recognising the compelling need for the people of Puducherry," she said.

The former IPS officer further said, "the implementation of the judgement in letter and spirit will give active grass root social reformers a chance to serve more."

The High court order enables appointment of independent Election Commissioner to oversee local body elections and the officer would be chosen by Chief Secretary with two independent members from the Centre -one each from Union Home and Panchayat Raj ministries, she added.