LAHORE, Sept 3: The Lahore High Court chief justice on Tuesday issued a fresh notice to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on a writ petition challenging an order of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The ECP had ordered inspection of election documents by the returning officer of NA-122, Lahore.

Earlier, the ECP counsel appeared before the court and defended the impugned order passed by the commission on the application of the PTI chief.

The chief justice directed the commission’s counsel to submit a written reply and explain as to how the returning officer could be retained after holding of the elections.

The CJ adjourned hearing till Sept 18 and issued a fresh notice to Imran Khan as nobody appeared on his behalf.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was declared returned candidate from the constituency in May 11 general election on the ticket of PML-N. Imran had lost his election to Sadiq and filed an application with the ECP for the inspection of election record.

The ECP had on June 18 allowed the application and directed the RO concerned to hold inspection of election documents.

The counsel submitted that the petitioner had no objection to the inspection of election record, except ballot papers, in terms of Section 45 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976.

The petitioner, through his counsel, contended that presently the RO did not have any election record because the record had already been forwarded to the ECP as required by the law.

He said RO had completed his job and did not have the jurisdiction to conduct the proceedings assigned to him by the impugned order of the ECP.

The petitioner prayed to the court to set aside the impugned order by declaring it void ab initio, illegal and unlawful.