AP HC suspends gram panchayat poll schedule of SEC

The Andhra Pradesh High Court onMonday suspended the schedule announced by the State ElectionCommission for conducting elections to gram panchayats in fourphases next month, observing it would hamper the COVID-19vaccination programme.

The order was issued on a petition by the Y S Jagan MohanReddy government, challenging the schedule, citing thevaccination programme,to be taken up from January 16.

''The SEC has not objectively considered the view of thegovernment and has approached the subject matter in its owndomain,'' a vacation bench of the high court observed.

The court said the gram panchayat elections would hamperthe (coronavirus) vaccination programme and, as such,suspended the SEC orders ''in the interests of public health''.

The court order is seen as a morale boosting victory forthe state government, which has been having a tussle with theSEC N Ramesh Kumar since March last year.

He was reinstated as SEC in May after the high courtstruck down an ordinance of the state government curtailingthe tenure of the poll body from five to three years.

Overruling the objections raised by the government, theSEC on Friday night announced the schedule for the polls to beheld on February 5, 9, 13 and 17.

Ramesh Kumar had announced the schedule hours after hismeeting with Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das and other topofficials.

Reacting to the announcement, the government had said itwas unilateral and amounted to violation of the Supreme Courtorders.

''The SEC has adamantly announced the poll schedulewithout considering the state governments views. It is abrazen display of arrogance of power,'' Panchayat Raj PrincipalSecretary G K Dwivedi had said in a statement.