High Court orders ECI to file affidavit on voter list for conducting municipal elections in Jharkhand

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday ordered the Election Commission of India to file an affidavit within two weeks to inform the court as to what time the voter list will be provided to the State Election Commission for conducting the municipal elections in Jharkhand.

Justice Ananda Sen ordered this while hearing a contempt petition filed by former ward councillor Roshni Khalko, who had filed the petition for the delay on the part of the government in conducting the municipal elections.

In the course of the hearing, the Election Commission of India informed the high court that a voter list has been produced. However, the same is not updated, the counsel for the ECI informed.

The court then directed the ECI to inform as to whether this voter list can be used for the forthcoming municipal elections or not.

The case will again be taken up for hearing on February 7.

Khalko had filed a writ petition before the high court earlier in 2023 after the term of ward councillors had expired.

The court on January 4, 2024 had ordered the government to conduct municipal elections within three weeks.

But since the same has not been done, Khalko filed a contempt petition.

On January 16 the high court ordered the government to conduct the elections in four months. Earlier, the court had summoned chief secretary Alka Tiwari to appear in person in the hearing of the case.