Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, February 4
The Himachal Pradesh government has approached the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against a recent High Court order directing it to conduct panchayat elections by the end of April. Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh High Court rejected the state government’s plea to defer elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies by six months. In its order dated 9 January 2026, the court directed the state government and the State Election Commission to hold the elections before 30 April 2026.
Disposing of a public interest litigation filed by advocate Mandeep Chandel, the the Himachal Pradesh High Court also instructed the authorities to complete the entire election process by February 28. Following the order, preparations for the elections had already begun.
The state government had argued before the High Court that elections should be postponed due to extensive damage to public and private property, as well as roads, caused by recent disasters. It said the Disaster Management Act was still in force and conditions on the ground were not conducive for conducting polls.
