Telangana HC dismisses petitions challenging municipal election process

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court dismissed two Public Interest Litigations filed challenging the pre-election process of delimitation of wards, preparation of voter lists, enumeration of SC, ST, and BC voters etc., undertaken by the government for the conduct of municipal elections in the state. With this, the road is almost clear for the government to advance with conducting municipal elections in the state.

The Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy delivered judgment to this effect on Tuesday. The Court didn’t agree with the petitioner’s contentions that this pre-poll exercise undertaken by the government was done hastily. The Bench noted that with existing technologies, and with the voters’ list for assembly elections already available, it doesn’t take much time for preparation of an electoral roll for municipal polls. It also opined that the petitioners could not show one discrepancy in the SC, ST, BC voter lists. Moreover, voters are not before this Court alleging discrepancies.

The Additional Advocate General requested to vacate several stay orders granted in Writ petitions filed before the single judge challenging the very process undertaken in individual municipalities. Referring to it, the Bench felt that the government must take the matter before the single judge for getting the stay orders vacated. Since the State Election Commission has not issued any election schedule, there is enough time for authorities to complete the pre-poll exercise, it felt while dismissing the PIL petitions.