Hearing of leave application to seek fresh polls today

(NST) KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will hear a judicial review leave application today brought by former Perak state assembly speaker V. Sivakumar to compel the Election Commission to hold fresh elections in three constituencies.

Counsel Razlan Hadri, a member of the legal team for Sivakumar, said their lead counsel, Sulaiman Abdullah, was expected to make submissions.

High Court judge Lau Bee Lan had on March 27 fixed today's hearing after meeting with Sivakumar's counsel and senior federal counsel from the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Sivakumar, who filed his application in person on March 10, wants the state assembly seats of Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang to be declared vacant as the assemblymen had resigned.

In early February, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang), Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang), who were then part of the ruling Pakatan Rakyat government, declared themselves independent members on grounds that they had lost confidence in then menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

Sivakumar then sent letters pre-signed by the three to the EC claiming that they had resigned and asking that by-elections be held to fill the vacancies.

The EC, however, refused to hold by-elections as the resignations were in doubt.

Three former executive councillors of Pakatan and three voters had also filed similar applications against the assemblymen.

Sivakumar, the former executive council members and the voters also sought an injunction to stop the three from acting and carrying out the functions and duties of assemblymen and to compel them to show under what authority they were still representatives of their constituencies.