ISLAMABAD, July 23: The Supreme Court on Monday served notices on the Chief Election Commissioner, director-general of Nadra, law and parliamentary affairs secretaries and the attorney-general on a challenge by PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto against the draft electoral rolls.

Justice Rana Bhagwandas, who took up the matter in his chambers, directed the Supreme Court office to list the case of Benazir Bhutto versus Chief Election Commissioner for hearing before Bench I on Thursday after a notice to the respondents.

Advocate Sardar Mohammad Latif Khan Khosa represented the petitioner.

The respondents have been directed to appear in the court and submit concise statements a day before the hearing. “The petition raises a substantial question of law of public importance as the act complained, prima facie, disentitles millions of people of Pakistan of their right to franchise for the reason that they had not applied for registration along with computerised national identity cards,” the order said.

“It is pointed out that Article 51(2) of the Constitution does not confine the right of franchise with CNIC, which may be relevant at the stage of casting the vote and not for the purpose of enrolment in the electorate rolls,” it said.

The direction overturned earlier objections raised by the registrar office on the petition challenging the new electoral rolls.

In her petition, Ms Bhutto had claimed that the new electoral rolls had disfranchised about one-third of eligible voters and accused the ruling party of pre-poll rigging to manipulate the coming general election.

In the electoral rolls prepared for the 2002 election, the number of registered voters was 71.8 million, but the new list has a little more than 52 million voters.

Ms Bhutto had also requested the court to declare illegal and without lawful authority the registration of only those people as voters who had CNIC and direct the commission to provide copies of the new electoral rolls to political parties free of cost and also place the lists on its website.