LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday annulled the action of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the officials involved in rigging in Daska by-polls.
The by-election in the Sialkot constituency had gained national importance after the ECP declared the February 19, 2021 polls void due to multiple incidents of violence and serious irregularities.
Later, the electoral body initiated proceedings against officials involved in the Daska by-poll fiasco. The action was launched after an inquiry report revealed that the NA-75 Sialkot-IV by-election held in Daska was not held in a fair, free, and transparent manner.
However, the officials including former Sialkot deputy commissioner challenged ECP’s action in the high court, which reserved the verdict on the pleas on November 25.
Challenging the action, the petitioners had maintained in their pleas that they were no longer the officials of the ECP after the election therefore the action against them was illegal.
While announcing the reserved verdict, the court ruled that only the departments concerned have the authority to take action against the officials over misconduct and not the ECP.
