Jaipur, May 18: The Rajasthan High Court postponed the hearing on a contempt petition filed against the State Election Commission regarding delays in conducting local body elections.
The case was listed before a division bench comprising Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay. The contempt petition was filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha, Giriraj Singh Devanda, and others.
However, the bench rescheduled the hearing for May 26, noting that another division bench of the High Court had already reserved its decision on petitions seeking to postpone the elections by the state government and the State Election Commission.
During the previous hearing, the High Court issued contempt notices to the State Election Commission and its commissioner, Rajeshwar Singh. The court sought clarification on how the commission issued a schedule for amending voter lists for local body elections after the deadline set by the High Court had passed.
Lodha alleged in the contempt petition that both the state government and the election commission were deliberately delaying the elections despite clear directives from the High Court.
According to the petition, the commission had set April 22 as the date for publishing the final voter lists for local body elections, making it impossible to complete the election process within the previously established deadline of April 15.
The petitioners argued that this constituted a willful disregard of judicial orders and fell within the scope of contempt of court.
Lodha further claimed that the excessive delay in organizing the Panchayat and urban local body elections has created a constitutional crisis in Rajasthan over the past year and a half. He alleged that public anger has surged due to the functioning of appointed administrators instead of elected representatives.
Earlier, on May 11, a separate division bench led by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjeet Purohit heard petitions from the state government and the State Election Commission seeking to postpone the elections.
After hearing the arguments, the bench reserved its decision. In its petition, the state government requested that the Panchayat and local body elections be postponed until December, citing various administrative and prevailing circumstances as reasons for the delay.
The State Election Commission supported the government’s stance in its arguments, asserting that conducting elections before finalizing OBC reservation would not be practical.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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