Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, November 17
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has sought responses from the state government and the State Election Commission over alleged delays in conducting panchayat elections. The court issued notices on Monday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed over the matter, and asked both authorities to submit their replies by December 21. The case will be heard next on December 22.
A division bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj said the state must clarify its position on the poll schedule. The petition alleges that the government has no intention of holding elections on time and has not even issued the required notification. The petitioner argued that the delay was deliberate and was affecting local governance processes. Petitioner’s counsel Mandeep Chandel said the court had directed both the government and the election commission to explain the reasons behind the delay.
The state’s Advocate General, appearing for the government, informed the court that the election process could begin by 21 January.
