Telangana HC orders panchayat polls in 3 months, slams delay by SEC, govt

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed the State government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct gram panchayat elections within three months, expressing serious concern over the prolonged delay despite the expiry of local body terms earlier this year.

Delivering the verdict on Wednesday, Justice T Madhavi Devi also instructed that the ward delimitation process be completed within 30 days, making it clear that the constitutional mandate of timely elections cannot be bypassed.

Court questions delay despite expiry of term

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by several former sarpanches, who challenged the government’s inaction even though the tenure of the panchayat bodies ended on January 30, 2024.

The court questioned both the government and the SEC on the reasons for the delay, especially after earlier assurances that elections would be held promptly.

Instead of holding elections, the government had appointed special officers to manage local administration, which the petitioners claimed was unconstitutional and a violation of the Panchayat Raj Act.

Petitioners say people are suffering

Counsel for the petitioners argued that the appointment of special officers had adversely affected governance at the village level. They stated that due to the absence of elected representatives, citizens were unable to resolve basic issues and development activities had stalled.

Several sarpanches had reportedly undertaken developmental works from personal funds, relying on the government’s promise that financial support would be provided through the State Finance Commission. However, with no elections and funding delays, many are now facing severe hardships.

State seeks more time for BC reservation process

Responding on behalf of the government, additional advocate general Imran informed the court that BC reservations needed to be finalised in line with Supreme Court directives before the election process could begin. He requested an additional month to complete this exercise.

Appearing for the SEC, senior advocate G Vidyasagar clarified that the responsibility for finalising reservations lies with the State government. Once that is done, the SEC would require two months to complete the election process.

Court cites Supreme Court guidelines on SEC’s independence

Justice Madhavi Devi observed that the Supreme Court had already laid down guidelines requiring the SEC to act independently if the government fails to initiate the election process. She questioned why no steps were taken despite prior commitments.

Clear timeline set by High Court

Concluding the hearing, the High Court set a definitive timeline for the election process: ward delimitation must be completed within 30 days, and gram panchayat elections must be held within three months.

The verdict is expected to accelerate the long-pending election process and restore democratic governance at the village level in Telangana, advocates said.