Poll panel has last word on code violation: Jurist
February 12th, 2012 - 5:41 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Former solicitor general Harish Salve Sunday said that the Election Commission (EC) has the last word on the violation of model code of conduct and those who disagree can move court.
“The Election Commission has the last word in the violation of the model code,” Salve told news channel Times Now, a day after the poll panel wrote to President Pratibha Patil on Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s defiant stand on quota for backward Muslims in Uttar Pradesh despite its censure.
“If somebody feels that the Election Commission is wrong there are courts of law. You can move to a court and say please set aside this directive of the Election Commission,” he added.
Salve said that if one constitutional authority defied another, there would be anarchy.
“It’s not the question of who’s right or who’s wrong, it’s a question of how do constitutional authorities interface,” he said.
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quarishi Saturday wrote a strongly-worded letter to the president, saying the poll panel found the tone and tenor of the union minister’s latest remarks “utterly contemptuous about the commission’s lawful direction to him”.
Patil forwarded Quraishi’s letter over Khurshid to the prime minister’s office for “appropriate action”.
Khurshid Friday evening said in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district that he would ensure rights to “pasmanda (backward Muslims)” even if he was “hanged” by the poll panel.
- Poll panel goes to president over defiant Khurshid (Second Lead) - Feb 12, 2012
- Poll panel goes to president over defiant Khurshid (Lead) - Feb 12, 2012
- Khurshid should follow law of the land: Congress - Feb 12, 2012
- Congress distances from Khurshid, BJP demands PM sack him (Roundup) - Feb 12, 2012
- PM should seek Khurshid's resignation: BJP - Feb 12, 2012
- Khurshid's remarks: Poll panel seeks president's intervention - Feb 11, 2012
- BJP for Khurshid's removal, Congress reaction mixed (Lead) - Feb 13, 2012
- Sack Khurshid, BJP again says - Feb 13, 2012
- Will get backwards their dues even if poll panel hangs me: Khurshid - Feb 11, 2012
- After his apology, end row over Khurshid: Congress - Feb 15, 2012
- PM may intervene in Khurshid-Election Commission row - Feb 13, 2012
- EC to act on Khurshid after hearing from PM (Lead) - Feb 14, 2012
- Have not violated poll code, says Khurshid - Jan 11, 2012
- Congress in quota controversy again (Lead) - Feb 16, 2012
- Patil sends Quraishi's letter to PMO - Feb 12, 2012
Tags: anarchy, censure, chief election commissioner, constitutional authority, courts of law, election commission, friday evening, harish, jurist, khurshid, last word, letter to the president, model code, president pratibha patil, quarishi, salman, salve, solicitor general, union law minister, union minister