Ex Minister Files Petition In Supreme Court Seeking Early Assembly Polls In J&K

JAMMU, May 11: Former Minister Harsh Dev Singh on Thursday filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India seeking early Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh with prayer to the Apex Court have appealed to the Court to issue directions to the Union of India and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate steps for restoration of democratic process and revival of peoples Govt in the erstwhile State in consonance with the spirit of constitution and successive rulings of the top Court of the country. The writ petition has been filed in the name of senior NPP leader Manju Singh, Des Raj Chairman Block Development Council Ramnagar and Ashri Devi member DDC Udhampur. Speaking to media persons, Singh said that the matter was likely to be heard by the SC Bench within the next couple of days on the date to be fixed by the SC Registry wherein he had raised various questions of law and of facts in support of his contentions to get the desired relief from the Court. Singh averred that the Supreme Court on several occasions has held that Assembly Elections must be held within six months in all those States/UTs where Assemblies are pre-maturely dissolved.
“You can't create a constitutional void, a hiatus situation for the constituencies”, the Supreme Court has again observed adding further that it is the people who eventually suffer in the absence of an elected representative to espouse their cause. Denying democratic government is a punishment to the people, as observed by the top court as well. “It is however shocking that the Assembly Elections continue to be denied in J&K on flimsy grounds only to enable the BJP to run the affairs of the Government in J&K through its chosen ones. J&K has been deprived of democratic Government for the last four years,” stated Singh.