Himachal Pradesh High Court Mandates Panchayat Polls Despite Government Pushback

The Himachal Pradesh High Court rejected a government plea to delay panchayat elections, ordering them to proceed by April 30. Despite government claims of logistical challenges due to recent disasters, the court insisted on elections before census and monsoon cycles. Opposition criticized the government's attempted delay.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has rejected a request from the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government to postpone elections for panchayati raj bodies. The court ruled that the elections must take place before April 30, despite the state citing extensive weather damage and logistical challenges.

A division bench, comprising Justice Vivek Thakur and Justice Romesh Verma, dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking postponement. The court argued that logistical issues, like the upcoming board exams, made it urgent to conduct elections at the earliest.

Chief Minister Sukhu questioned the legal grounds of the ruling, emphasizing the relevance of the Disaster Act, while the opposition accused the government of trying to avoid a likely election defeat.

(With inputs from agencies.)