HYDERABAD, March 20: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, here on Friday issued notices to two respondents and returning officer of Chanesar-I union council on an election petition , praying the court to restrain respondents from contesting the UC by-elections.

Petitioners Tariq Hussain and Mohammad Amin said that they and the respondents were contesting by-elections for the seats of Nazim and Naib Nazim of the UC in Nawabshah district.

They said that according to the record of a school, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education and a college, date of birth of a respondent, Syed Kazim Hussain Shah, was Jan 23, 1982 thus he was below 25 years of age and not qualified to contest election.

The petitioners added that they had filed objections before the judicial magistrate-I, the returning officer, and had also filed some documents in support of their contention.

They stated that the returning officer sought verification from the BISE which confirmed that date of birth of Mr Shah was Jan 23, 1982.

Even they, they stated, the returning officer accepted nomination form of the respondent with the result that the petitioners preferred an election appeal before the district returning officer, who is the sessions judge, Nawabshah.

They stated that the district returning officer rejected the appeal.

The petitioners' counsel, Jhematmal Jethanand, argued in the petition that orders passed by the returning officer and district returning officer were against facts and law.

He maintained that it was established that the respondent had obtained certificates from a school through fraud and with assistance of a supervisor, Irshad Ahmed Tunio, who had confessed about forgeries in the record.

He said that district returning officer had committed illegality by relying upon the National Identity Card, passport, driving and forged school leaving certificates.

He prayed the court to issue directives to the returning officer and district returning officer to reject nomination forms of the respondents.

LIFE TERM: The Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Syed Ali Ashraf Shah on Thursday awarded life imprisonment and a fine of Rs240,000 each to two accused in a kidnapping for ransom and murder case of a young boy, Naveed Noonari.