The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) yesterday filed a judicial review application against Election Commission, to compel the EC to hold a local inquiry on the constituencies it redelineated.

The filing was made under Section 5 of the Thirteenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, which requires the EC to hold a local inquiry on the constituencies it receives objections on, including from the local councils in charge of the areas.

The EC had sent a letter dated March 29 this year to the MBPJ, stating that it was not necessary to hold the local inquiry.

MBPJ felt the EC had failed to comply with the mandatory requirement to hold the local inquiry under the constitution, by virtue of MBPJ being a local council.

The denial of this right to the MBPJ is seen as a fundamental breach of the constitution by the EC.

The application was filed in the High Court in Shah Alam, in which MBPJ named EC, its chairperson Hashim Abdullah, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and secretary Abdul Ghani Salleh as respondents.

MBPJ also wants an order of mandamus to compel Najib to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to revoke the delimitation of constituencies and to take steps for the revocation of the said gazette.

Hence the local council is seeking leave to quash the letter dated March 29 sent to it by the EC.

MBPJ is also seeking a declaration that the EC's actions and subsequent actions under Section 8 of the Thirteenth Schedule are unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect because the respondents failed to abide by Section 5 of the Thirteenth Schedule.