Apex court to hear plea challenging order on virtual rallies

The week after the Dussehra holidays, the Supreme Court of India will hear petitions filed by the BJP and the Election Commission of India (EC) challenging the Madhya Pradesh High court's order that has allowed only virtual campaigns or rallies ahead of the by-elections in the State.

New Delhi: In the coming week, the Supreme Court will hear petitions filed by the BJP and the Election Commission of India (EC) challenging the Madhya Pradesh High court's order that has allowed only virtual campaigns or rallies ahead of the by-elections in the State.

The petitions will be heard on October 26 by a bench comprising of Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The same bench will also hear petitions challenging the central vista project which involves the construction of new parliament and secretariat.

On Monday, a bench led by the Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde, will hear petitions seeking issuance of directions to Haryana and Punjab to stop stubble burning.

The court had directed to constitute a man monitoring committee comprising of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur to keep a check on stubble burning. Hearing of the petitions will resume on Monday. The bench is also scheduled to hear guidelines for court functioning through video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courts have been functioning online since the lockdown was imposed in wake of COVID-19 and is likely to continue virtual hearings.