Flood relief aid: Telangana HC tells SEC to respond to writ

A two-judge panel of the Telangana High court refused to interdict the order of the State Election Commission on stalling the flood relief aid of Rs 10,000 to the affected parties.

As reported earlier, S Sharath Kumar, a practising advocate, filed the writ petition questioning the embargo placed by the State Election Commission. The panel of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy granted time to the Election Commission to respond to the writ averments and posted the matter to Dec 4, effectively



making the issue academic.

The Chief Justice pointed out that the writ was premised on the assumption that the Election Commission is answerable to the State government. The panel pointed out that this was not correct and that the Commission is an independent body with the responsibility to conduct free and fair elections. Though the bench distinguished the grant of flood relief from sops that could influence the voter in the ensuing GHMC election, it did not grant any interim order.