Telangana HC Asks State, SEC For Local Poll Schedule
Its previous orders should be implemented and observed that the local body elections should not be kept pending for various reasons:Telangana High Court
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Friday asked the government and the State Election Commission (SEC) when will be the rural local body elections would be conducted, and gave them two weeks to reply with regard to the revised poll schedule.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin was hearing a petition filed by Renka Surender, advocate from Mancherial district, who challenged the SEC’s notification dated October 9, which put the local body election process on hold.
Earlier in the day on October 9, the High Court had stayed the increase of reservations for the Backward Classes communities in local body elections to 42 per cent, and permitted the SEC to proceed with polls based on the existing reservation structure within the cap of 50 per cent including quotas for the SC, ST and BC communities.
Following the court’s interim order, the SEC suspended the election process citing a change in the composition of constituencies. The petitioner argued that the suspension was in violation of the High Court's directions and requested the court to declare the SEC's notification halting the elections as illegal and unconstitutional. He urged the court to direct the SEC to convert the excess reserved seats into open category seats and proceed with the process by issuing a revised election schedule.
Senior counsel G. Vidyasagar, appearing for the SEC, informed that after the High Court’s interim orders and the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the state's special leave petition, the commission had sought updated reservation details from the state government. He stated that further steps would be taken in consultation with the government as per the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act.
Shazia Parveen, government counsel for the panchayat raj department, sought three weeks to file a response. However, the division bench, comprising clarified that a detailed counter was unnecessary and only the schedule for elections needed to be submitted.
The court said that its previous orders should be implemented and observed that the local body elections should not be kept pending for various reasons. The bench adjourned the matter to November 3, granting two weeks for the government and the SEC to inform the court about the revised election schedule.
