Supreme Court extends deadline to conduct polls for local bodies in Himachal Pradesh to May 31

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed a plea by the Himachal Pradesh government to extend from April 30 to May 31 the deadline fixed by the high court for holding polls for local bodies in the state.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the plea filed by the principal secretary and also extended the high court’s deadline of February 28 to March 31 for completing reconstruction work, delimitation and reservation.

The court also considered the logistical difficulties, being faced by the government and the state poll panel in delimitation and other reconstruction activities in the rain-ravaged hill state, while modifying the order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

The bench, however, said the high court was right in holding that the pendency of delimitation work cannot be a ground to “delay and stall” the polls for rural and urban local bodies.

The bench said that keeping in mind the monsoon and consequential difficulties usually being faced by the state, the poll process must be concluded before May 31.

The court made it clear that no fresh application for extension of time will be entertained.

The five-year term of panchayati raj institutions ended on January 31, while the tenure of 50 urban local bodies ended on January 18.

The state has 3,577 gram panchayats, 90 panchayat samitis, 11 zila parishads and 71 urban local bodies.

Acting on a PIL, on January 9, the Himachal Pradesh High Court rejected the government’s plea seeking to defer elections by six months, and directed it to conduct the polls before April 30. The state government claimed that the Disaster Act is in force in the state, as it has suffered extensive damage to public and private properties and roads due to rains.