New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) refusing to advance by two hours the start of polling in view of Ramzan coinciding with the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 19.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna said that there was no merit in the petition and the election timing would continue to remain from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had on May 2 directed the ECI to take an appropriate decision on lawyer Nizamuddin Pasha’s plea for re-scheduling the start of polling to 5 a.m. from 7 a.m.
However, the poll watchdog had on May 5 rejected the prayer. The lawyer had again moved the apex court seeking a direction to the poll body to reconsider his plea.
