New Delhi, Feb 14 : The Supreme Court of India on Friday granted additional time to the Himachal Pradesh government to complete the electoral process for rural and urban local bodies, extending the deadline from April 30 to May 31.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi modified an earlier directive of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, taking into account practical challenges cited by the state administration. The court also extended the timeline for completing delimitation, reconstruction and reservation-related formalities from February 28 to March 31.
Court Balances Logistics With Democratic Mandate
While granting relief, the apex court made it clear that ongoing delimitation cannot be used as a justification to indefinitely postpone elections. It emphasised that the democratic process must not be stalled and directed that polling be completed before the onset of the monsoon season, which typically complicates logistics in the hill state.
The bench further clarified that no additional request for extension would be entertained.
Background of the Case
On January 9, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had rejected the plea of the government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu seeking a six-month deferment of the elections. The high court had ordered that the entire electoral exercise be concluded by April 30.
The state had argued that severe damage caused by natural disasters, coupled with infrastructure constraints and the enforcement of the Disaster Management Act, made it difficult to proceed with elections immediately. However, the high court maintained that the situation did not warrant such a prolonged delay.
The five-year tenure of panchayati raj institutions ended on January 31, while 50 urban local bodies completed their term on January 18. The state has 3,577 gram panchayats, 90 panchayat samitis, 11 zila parishads and 71 urban local bodies awaiting elections.
With the revised schedule now in place, authorities are expected to expedite preparatory work to meet the new Himachal Pradesh local body elections deadline of May 31.