CHENNAI: A batch of writ petitions and contempt applications against election to the local bodies held on October 17 last year were dismissed by the Madras High Court on Thursday. The writ petitions from the DMK, represented by its legal wing secretary R S Bharathi, and others prayed for a direction to the Election Commission to hold repoll in certain wards and booths as there were violence, booth capturing and rigging during the polls held in October.The contempt applications from Poonkundran and another sought to punish the election authorities for not complying with the orders dated November 14, last year of the HC, which among other things, ordered video-recording of all the polling booths. “None of the writ petitions contained at least prima facie materials setting out the cause of action for filing them. The affidavits are bereft of details. There are no specific instances of rigging or booth capturing or bogus voting. They contained only allegations without an iota of proof,” a division bench comprising justices D Murugesan and KK Sasidharan observed and dismissed the writ petitions. As regards the contempt applications, the Bench said that the factual matrix clearly showed that there was no intentional disobedience and the authorities concerned had made sincere efforts to implement the October 14 orders of this court. The applicants had failed to prove that the election officials intentionally violated the order, the Bench said.
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