In a recent ruling, the Aizawl bench of the Gauhati High Court dismissed a petition that challenged the Mizoram government’s decision to curtail the term of Village Councils (VCs) by six months. The petition was filed by the All Mizoram Village Council Association (AMVCA), arguing that the decision lacked a specified rationale and infringed upon their rights.
Justice Nelson Sailo presided over the case and ruled that the petition lacked merit, thus upholding the government’s notifications issued in November last year. These notifications effectively shorten the VC terms, with the adjusted terms set to end on February 19.
AMVCA President K Lalngaizuala, along with another leader from the association, had approached the court through a writ petition. They contended that the government did not provide a specific reason for the term curtailment, which they claimed violated their rights. However, the court found no legitimate grievance that warranted further discussion on the matter and dismissed the petition with no costs imposed.
The court’s decision comes ahead of the scheduled elections for 544 village councils across nine districts, excluding three autonomous district councils in Siaha and Lawngtlai districts, and 111 local councils within the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Lunglei Municipal Council (LMC). The elections are set to take place on February 12.
Officials have reported a robust turnout of candidates, with 6,829 individuals contesting for seats in the 544 VCs and 2,076 candidates vying for positions in the 111 LCs. The counting of votes will commence at 7 pm on election day or as soon as the polling concludes.
