The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a challenge to the Manipur High Court’s decision extending the deadline for conducting panchayat elections in the state until October 16, 2026, finding no reason to interfere with the order.
A partial working day bench of Justices N Kotiswar Singh and N V Anjaria rejected the appeal filed by Pheiroijam Heramani and others against the Manipur High Court’s judgment dated May 19, 2026.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur government, submitted that the state was obligated to comply with the High Court’s directions and could face contempt proceedings if the local body elections were not conducted in accordance with those directions.
Accepting the position that no interference was warranted, the Supreme Court held that the appeal lacked merit and dismissed it.
High Court Had Extended Election Timeline
In its May 19 judgment, the Manipur High Court extended the deadline for holding the sixth general panchayat elections in the state until October 16, 2026.
The division bench of Chief Justice M Sundar and Justice A Guneshwar Sharma also enabled the state to implement a three-tier panchayati raj system in line with recent legislative amendments.
Review Petitions Led To Modified Directions
The matter reached the High Court through review petitions filed by the Manipur government seeking modification of an earlier order passed in August 2025, which had directed that the panchayat elections be conducted within six months.
The state argued that the prevailing law and order situation, coupled with the imposition of President’s Rule from February 2025, made it impracticable to conduct the elections within the original timeframe.
Taking note of what it described as extraordinary circumstances, the High Court modified its earlier directions and granted the state government and the State Election Commission time until October 16, 2026, to complete the electoral process.
