Himachal Pradesh News
Supreme Court Extends Deadline for Himachal Pradesh Local Body Polls to May 31
The Supreme Court has extended the deadline for conducting local body elections in Himachal Pradesh from April 30 to May 31, while upholding the High Court’s direction that polls must be held without undue delay.
The Supreme Court has extended the deadline for conducting local body elections in Himachal Pradesh from April 30 to May 31, while upholding the High Court’s direction that polls must be held without undue delay.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday extended the deadline for completion of local body elections in Himachal Pradesh from April 30 to May 31.
Acting on a petition filed by the state government, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant granted a one-month extension to the timeline earlier fixed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court for holding the elections.
The Bench, which also comprised Justice Joymalya Bagchi, further extended the deadline for completing reconstruction work, delimitation and reservation from February 28 to March 31.
“No further application for extension of time shall be entertained,” the court said.
High Court’s Direction Upheld
However, the top court upheld the High Court’s core direction that elections to municipal corporations, panchayats and urban local bodies must be held after the expiry of the term of the elected bodies.
“The direction issued by the high court that elections… are required to be held after expiry of the term of elected bodies is a correct expression of law and does not warrant any interference by this court,” the Bench observed.
The Supreme Court also agreed with the High Court’s view that the delimitation exercise could not be used as a ground to indefinitely delay the elections.
Background of the Case
On January 9, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had rejected the state government’s plea to defer elections to panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) by six months and directed it to conduct the polls before April 30.
Elections to PRIs and more than 70 urban local bodies (ULBs) were due before March 31. The matter reached the High Court following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by certain individuals seeking timely conduct of elections.
Challenging the High Court’s order, the Himachal Pradesh Government approached the Supreme Court, which has now granted a limited extension while reiterating that elections cannot be delayed beyond the constitutional mandate.
Read Also : Himachal Pradesh Government Calls All-Party Meet on RDG Issue on February 13
