High Court dismisses petition seeking UP polls postponement

Lucknow, Jan 28 (UNI) The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking postponement of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in the wake of increasing Covid cases in the state. The division bench of Justice AR Masoodi and Justice Suresh Kumar Gupta, while dismissing the PIL filed on the behalf of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) stated that it was not a matter in which the court should interfere. The PIL was filed by the president of UP unit of ABHM Rishi Kumar Trivedi. The Election Commission and the state government were made parties in the PIL. In the PIL, while referring to deaths in different parts of the country and during panchayats polls in UP during the second wave of the pandemic, stated that in the current scenario the speed with which Covid cases are being reported, it is clear that conducting safe and fair election was not possible. It was also stated that due to fear of Covid, most of the electorate could not turn up for voting. After hearing both the sides the bench pointed out that a petition on similar grounds had been dismissed in the past. Refusing to interfere, the bench dismissed the PIL