The Punjab-Haryana High Court, on Friday, questioned the Punjab government’s delay in conducting elections for 42 municipal councils and committees, whose terms have long expired. The court’s inquiry comes amid a backdrop where no interim order from the Supreme Court exists to justify the postponement of these elections.
Beant Singh, a resident of Malerkotla, filed a public interest litigation informing the High Court that despite the expiration of their terms several months ago, elections for the 42 municipal bodies have not been held, leading to a halt in developmental works in these areas. Most of these councils’ terms ended in December 2022.
According to the Constitution, it is mandatory to hold elections for municipal councils before the expiration of their current terms. However, the local government had seemingly not taken this mandate seriously. Although the Department of Local Bodies had issued a notification on August 1, 2023, setting the elections for November 1, they have yet to be conducted.
The petitioner had even sent a legal notice to the government to hold the elections, but to no avail, leading him to seek intervention from the High Court.
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During the hearing, the Punjab government indicated that a petition regarding this matter is pending before the Supreme Court. However, upon the High Court’s inquiry whether the Supreme Court had issued any interim order to halt the elections, the governmentโs response was negative, leading the High Court to question why the elections have not yet been conducted.
