The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party to delay the upcoming Bihar by-elections, scheduled for November 13. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, determined that it was too late to alter the election schedule and emphasized that the judiciary should not intervene in such policy matters.
The court noted that the necessary arrangements for the by-elections had already been finalized, and pointed out that the plea was isolated to the Jan Suraaj Party, with other political entities raising no concerns. “Other political parties do not have a problem. Only you have a problem. You are a new political party, you need to know these zig-zags,” the bench commented during the proceedings.
Represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Jan Suraaj Party had argued for a postponement due to the significance of the Chhath Puja festival, a major religious event in Bihar. The party highlighted that election dates had previously been adjusted in other states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Kerala to accommodate religious observances, suggesting a precedent that was not followed in this instance.
