The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected the petition seeking transfer of polling station for upcoming local government elections from a private school. SHC bench headed by Justice Irfan Saadat was hearing the petition filed by Najma Mushir, the principal of National High School situated at Block 13, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, requesting the court not to establish the polling station in her school.
The petitioner submitted that almost 4,000 students are getting education in the school being run on no profit no loss basis. The election commission has selected the school as a polling station, and it is feared that the students will suffer if the school is used as a polling station.
Earlier, citing chief secretary, election commissioners of province, district and region as the respondents, the petitioner prayed to the court to direct election commission to refrain from establishing polling station in the school. An amenity plot adjacent to the school can be used for the same purpose instead of her school, she requested. The court asked the petitioner's counsel whether the petitioner has filed any application to the election commissioner in this regard. The lawyer of the petitioner replied in affirmative hence directed them to approach the election commission and should redress their grievance before it.