LAHORE, Dec 24: The Lahore High Court on Monday turned down a plea seeking stay to election of Lahore Gymkhana for year 2013, paving the way for participation of Mian Misbahur Rehman and Khwaja Imran Zubair in the exercise.

Club’s outgoing chairman Ziaur Rehman filed a petition challenging an order of a civil court which had allowed Rehman and Zubair to contest the polls.

The petitioner submitted that according to election rules no member of the club could contest elections more than four times. He said contrary to the rules Misbahur Rehman and Zubair were contesting for the fourth time.

The petitioner, also the head of Bureaucrat Panel, pointed out that Gymkhana election committee had rejected the nominations of both respondents but they later got a favourable decision from a civil court. He pleaded that as the civil court order was against the club’s election rules, it should be set aside. He also urged the court to suspend the election till final disposal of the instant petition.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan rejected the plea and sought replies from the respondents by Jan 16. The judge also linked the result of the election with final decision of the petition.  — Staff Reporter