‘Decide on co-op polls by June 8’

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to dispose of writ petitions relating to the holding of cooperative societies elections in Tamil Nadu by June 8.

A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, however, said the stay on the declaration of results would continue till the matter was finally disposed of by the High Court.

In April, the Supreme Court had vacated the interim order of ‘status quo’ on holding of the elections and allowed the polls to take place in all the 18,435 societies as per the schedule.

The order was passed on petitions filed by the State Election Commission and the Tamil Nadu government against the interim orders passed by the Madurai Bench on April 9 and 12.

The court had, at the time, agreed to permit the filing of nominations and election process in respect of those societies where the election was yet to take place. However, it had placed an embargo on the declaration of results.

Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi and Additional Advocate General of Tamil Nadu Subramonium Prasad had earlier submitted that the High Court had erred in staying the election process as polls had been conducted in a few societies and filing of nominations was on in other societies.