Telangana HC ruling allows panchayat poll candidate to contest from Indugula under ST quota

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday dismissed a writ appeal filed by the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) in connection with the electoral dispute concerning Indugula Gram Panchayat in Nalgonda district.

What is the case about?

The appeal was filed by the TSEC challenging the order of the Single Judge, Justice T Madhavi Devi, dated November 28, which had permitted Chinthamalla Kalpana to contest for the Sarpanch post under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

The issue arose after the candidate found that her name was missing from the electoral rolls of Indugula Gram Panchayat and approached the High Court seeking relief.

The dismissal clears the way for Chinthamalla Kalpana to contest the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections from Indugula under the ST quota.

‘Updating electoral rolls is a continuous statutory exercise’

Appearing for the TSEC, Standing Counsel G Vidya Sagar argued that the Single Judge’s order was contrary to Section 11 of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, and that the inclusion of the candidate’s name at this stage was impermissible.

Countering these submissions, Avinash Desai, Standing Counsel for the Election Commission of India, maintained that updating electoral rolls is a continuous statutory exercise. He asserted that inclusion of the name of a contesting candidate in the voter list was valid and in line with established legal principles.

The Division Bench, comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar, while dismissing the appeal, held that the writ appeal was directed against an interlocutory order and that no prejudice would be caused by allowing the election process to continue.

The Bench underscored that democratic processes must be safeguarded and free participation ensured.