Jaipur, April 2: The Rajasthan High Court has issued a contempt notice to the State Election Commission (SEC) and State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh regarding the delay in conducting Panchayat and urban local body elections in the state.
This order was passed by a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice S.P. Sharma while hearing a contempt petition filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha.
The court questioned how the SEC could issue a schedule for voter list amendments that extends beyond the deadline set by the court, especially since prior directives had already been issued on this matter.
The court has demanded a detailed response from the commission within four weeks.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Puneet Singhvi, argued that the state government and SEC are deliberately postponing the elections, which amounts to willful contempt of the High Court’s orders.
According to the commission’s schedule, the final voter list for local body elections is set to be published on April 22. This timeline effectively eliminates the possibility of completing elections by April 15, the deadline established by the court.
During the hearing, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad informed the bench that the state government intends to file an application to extend the election schedule.
In response, the court remarked, “This is a matter that will be considered later. For now, how did the election commission issue such a schedule?” The bench instructed the SEC to answer this question within four weeks.
On November 14, 2025, the Rajasthan High Court had directed the state government to conduct the Panchayat and local body elections by April 15, 2026, while also mandating that the delimitation process be completed by December 31, 2025.
The Supreme Court later upheld this deadline while hearing petitions challenging the High Court’s order, reiterating that elections must be completed by April 15 under all circumstances. Meanwhile, no contempt notice has been issued to the state government at this stage.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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