Delhi High Court orders ECI to expedite registration process of political party ahead of Tamil Nadu elections

The court said, “It is directed that the respondents shall complete the verification process, expeditiously, preferably, within a period of six weeks, from today.”

The petitioner argued that the party was constituted and officially adopted through a general body meeting held on April 9 in Coimbatore.

It was further argued that, on April 29, the party submitted the application to register itself under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Section 29A deals with the registration of associations and bodies as political parties with the ECI and provides for submitting the application to the poll body.

One of the lawyers representing the political party, advocate Raghaev, highlighted the urgency of the matter in the light of the upcoming state assembly elections in the state.

He argued that the delay in the registration could “prevent the party from contesting the elections under a common symbol”.

The ECI through advocates Sidhant Kumar and Shagun Chopra submitted that it had asked the chief electoral officer in the state on October 13 to conduct the parties’ physical verification and sought its completion within thirty days.

However, the chief electoral officer’s response is awaited, the ECI added.

The ECI in the communication to the chief electoral officer asked him to carry out the physical verification on “whether 20 individual affidavits” submitted by the members were sworn.

While directing the ECI, the court said, “After the verification process, requisite action shall be taken by the respondents for the purposes of registration of the party in question”.