Valley
SC directs EC to produce torn ballots
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the authorities to produce the ballot papers that were torn when vote counting for Ward 19 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City was underway on May 28.The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the authorities to produce the ballot papers that were torn when vote counting for Ward 19 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City was underway on May 28.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli and Justice Hari Krishna Karki issued an order to the Election Commission (EC) to produce the torn ballot papers as well as the EC’s decision of conducting re-election in the concerned ward and all the documents related to the incident within a week.
Some CPN (Maoist Centre) representatives had allegedly torn the ballot papers at around 11:45pm on May 28. CPN-UML’s Devi Gyawali was leading Maoist Centre’s Renu Dahal at that time.
After an EC-formed panel failed to ascertain the number of torn ballot papers, the poll body had asked the chief election officer of Chitwan to count the damaged ballot papers. As many as 90 ballot papers were found torn.
The EC on June 3 decided to hold re-election in Ward 19. But the apex court on June 5 had stayed the EC decision of re-election in Ward 19 and asked the authorities concerned to maintain status quo on the case.