Bombay HC grants temporary injunction on announcing valid list of candidates for MCA elections

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted a temporary injunction till Thursday on the announcement of the list of candidates after scrutiny of nominations for the Mumbai Cricket Association elections scheduled for November 12.

A bench of Justices Riyaz Chagla and Farhan Dubash noted that the electoral officer would first pass a reasoned order on the objections raised by certain members before issuance of the Final Electoral Roll.

“Hence, we are of the considered opinion that the electoral officer be restrained by an order of temporary injunction, till the next date and accordingly he shall not announce the list of valid candidates,” HC said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday.

As per the election schedule, the list of valid candidates after completion of scrutiny was set to be released here on Tuesday with the timeframe of November 5-7 (11:00am to 4:00pm local time) being set for any withdrawals.

The High Court said “since the election program contains a detailed list of events that are required to take place in a chronological manner, the resultant effect” of change the dates would also be considered by it on the next date.

The petitioners had said that despite filing their objections on October 20, “no speaking or reasoned order was passed thereon before the issuance of the Final Electoral Roll” on October 24.

As many as eight candidates including former India women’s captain Diana Edulji and outgoing president Ajinkya Naik have filed their nominations for the post of the president.

Naik has filed his nomination even though he is believed to be subjected to a mandatory cool-off period having completed six consecutive years in the apex council.

The list of nominations also includes three political leaders in BJP MLC Prasad Lad, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Milind Narvekar who is also a close aid of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Awhad.

Both Awhad and Narvekar are the members of the outgoing apex council of the MCA but they have filed nominations for other office bearers' posts.

The others who have also applied for this position are Vihang Sarnaik, the chairman of T20 Mumbai League and son of state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, Suraj Samat, who had lost the elections for the post of MCA secretary last year to outgoing secretary Abhay Hadap, and Shahalam Shaikh, the former joint secretary.