Supreme Court orders review of Andhra nomination complaints

The Supreme Court on October 21 directed Andhra Pradesh’s State Election Commission to review complaints from candidates who say they were obstructed from filing nominations for local body elections, and to consider deadline extensions where complaints are supported by evidence. The court ordered the Commission to defer publication of the final candidates list until October 25. It said the Commission should examine complaints individually and decide promptly whether a candidate was genuinely prevented from filing. Where it grants an extension, the additional filing period must be at least 48 hours from the Commission’s decision. The court also directed the Director General of Police to arrange police protection and CCTV coverage at nomination centres and election offices, and to protect candidates filing their papers. The Commission and police chief must submit compliance reports. The matter is scheduled to return to the Supreme Court on October 27. The case arose from a petition by YSR Congress, which alleged that violence and obstruction prevented its candidates from submitting nominations. The party told the court that 63.5% of its candidates in 19 urban local bodies had...