The Supreme Court on Friday extended the deadline for the completion of local body elections in Himachal Pradesh from April 30 to May 31.
Acting on a petition filed by the state government, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant extended by a month the deadline fixed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court for holding the local body polls in the state.
The Bench — which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi — extended from February 28 to March 31 the deadline for completing reconstruction work, delimitation and reservation fixed by the high court.
“No further application for extension of time shall be entertained,” it said.
The Bench, however, said, “The direction issued by the high court that elections to municipal corporations/panchayats/urban local bodies are required to be held after expiry of the term of elected bodies are over is a correct expression of law and does not warrant any interference by this court.”
The top court also agreed with the high court’s view that the delimitation exercise could not be used to indefinitely delay local body elections in Himachal Pradesh.
On January 9, the High Court had rejected the state government’s request to defer elections to panchayati raj bodies by six months and directed it to hold the polls before April 30.
The Himachal Pradesh Government has moved the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision to hold elections to panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) before April 30.
The elections to PRIs and over 70 ULBs were due before March 31, but the matter ended up in High Court after a PIL was filed by some individuals.
The High Court ordered to conduct the elections before April 30, which has now been challenged by the state government.
