KARACHI, May 20: The Sindh High Court ordered the administrator of the Karachi Electronics Dealers Association on Thursday to hold its elections on May 26 as already scheduled.

A writ petition was moved by a former joint secretary of the association, seeking a stay order against the elections because the notification under which an administrator was appointed by the provincial industries and commerce department to conduct the polls within 45 days has lapsed.

New members have been enlisted and given the right to vote in violation of the rules, he alleged. Additional Advocate-General M. Ahmed Pirzada and administrator Kashif Gulzar submitted that the polls had already been scheduled for May 26.

The balloting would be inordinately delayed if members were allowed to involve it in further litigation. A division bench, comprising Justices Shabbir Ahmed and Khilji Arif Hussain, ordered that the polls be held as scheduled.

The objections, if any, to the membership should be raised before the administrator, who would decide them before the balloting. The provincial government was asked to issue a fresh notification in place of the expired one.