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Rediff.com  » News » EC to give ruling on Navin Chawla on Apr 19

EC to give ruling on Navin Chawla on Apr 19

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Last updated on: April 12, 2007 17:37 IST
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The election commission has reserved its ruling on April 19,2007 on the Bhartiya Janata Party's objection that Navin Chawla, one of the election commissioner's appointment was illegal and he has no moral authority to hear the petition. Chawla was present throughout the proccedings on Thursday.

"The EC has told us that it would tell us on 17th of April whether it would give its ruling on Chawla on April 19. The Bharatiya Janata Party is using diversionary tactics to divert the attention from the main issue. We have asked the election commission to issue administrative order to undo the damage done by the distribution of the controversial inflamatory CD produced by the BJP," Kapil Sibal, union minister and noted advocate told newsmen in New Delhi after the commission heard the petition for over two and a half hours from various parties.

According to sources in the commission, a seven-page administrative order is likely to be issued either late on Thursday evening or on Friday morning.

"The commission has the power to issue administrative order independent of the hearing going on the Chawla and CD issues," admitted Ravi Shankar Prasad, spokesman of the party said.

Nilotpal Basu, who attended the commission's meeting headed by N Gopalaswamy, Chief Election Commissioner of India, said that there were no two views of the contents of the CD and everyone admitted that it was inflammatory CD. He hoped that the administrative order on CD would resolve the issue.

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Onkar Singh in New Delhi