Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Credit: PTI Photo
Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday questioned the Himachal Pradesh High Court's order to hold Panchayat elections when the Disaster Act is enforced in the state.
"Whether the Disaster Act has become infructuous and has no meaning," we will ask the court, he said.
The reaction came shortly after the high court directed the government to conduct the elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies before April 30, 2026.
Sukhu alleged that many decisions of the high court are arbitrary and have no legal interpretation, and the question now is not the Panchayat elections but of the legal interpretation of the Disaster Act enacted by the central government and whether the Act has any relevance.
"We will seek clarification from the court whether the Disaster Act has any relevance," he said, adding, "We will study the judgment and take appropriate action." He said that earlier also the panchayat elections in Shimla and some other areas were not conducted in December and January due to snow, while elections were held in the lower areas.