Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, January 9
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said the state government will study the High Court’s ruling on panchayat elections, raising questions over the relevance of the Disaster Management Act in light of the court’s observations. Speaking after the verdict, Sukhu said the judgment appeared to question whether the Disaster Act had any legal basis for deferring local body elections, adding that the government would examine the ruling in detail before deciding its next course of action.
Earlier in the day,in a major setback to the state government, the Himachal Pradesh High Court directed the state government and election commission panchayat elections be conducted before April 30. The court said the entire election process must be completed within a fixed timeframe.
In its order, the High Court instructed the state government and the State Election Commission to complete all procedural formalities by February 28 and ensure that polling is concluded by April 30. The judgment was pronounced after the court had reserved its decision on 7 January, following arguments from both sides.
The High Court passed the order in response to a public interest litigation filed in November last year by Dikkan Kumar Thakur, who had challenged the delay in holding panchayat elections. His lawyer, advocate Nandlal Thakur, described the decision as a significant relief and an important step towards protecting democratic institutions.
The petitioner had argued that the state government was using provisions of the Disaster Management Act to postpone elections, a move he said went against constitutional principles. The High Court, he added, had reaffirmed the primacy of democratic processes. The state government has not indicated whether it will seek further legal recourse, but officials said the judgment would be examined carefully before any decision is taken.
