Supreme Court mandates Himachal panchayat polls by May 31
Shimla (The Uttam Hindu): The Supreme Court on Friday clarified the ongoing controversy regarding elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies in Himachal Pradesh. The court directed that elections be held before May 31st at all costs. The Supreme Court clearly stated that elections to constitutional bodies cannot be postponed in the name of re-demarcation.
The Supreme Court has ordered the Himachal Panchayat elections to be held before May 31st. : The division bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi gave this order. Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had given instructions to conduct the elections by April 30. Now the Supreme Court has given almost one month's extra time to the state government. Political and legal turmoil is going on in the state regarding the Panchayat elections. The tenure of the Panchayats ended on January 31. After the order of the High Court, the state government had challenged it in the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). The matter had already been heard and after hearing it again on Friday, the court gave its decision.
In a petition filed in the Supreme Court, the Himachal Pradesh government argued that recent heavy rains and natural disasters have caused damage to the state, and that restoration work is ongoing in many areas. The government stated that the Disaster Management Act is in effect in the state, making it impossible to hold elections under the current circumstances.
The government also argued that the Disaster Management Act is a law enacted by Parliament, while the Panchayati Raj Act is a law enacted by the state legislature, and therefore, the Parliamentary law takes precedence. It also stated that the deadline set by the High Court is insufficient and that more time is needed to complete the election process. Following the Supreme Court's latest order, it is now clear that holding Panchayat and urban body elections in the state before May 31st will be mandatory.