Rajasthan High Court Operates During Diwali Holiday, Grants Relief to Four Voters
Rajasthan High Court hears case during Diwali, upholding the rights of four voters from Bundi district.
Jaipur, November 12 (Daily Kiran) : The Rajasthan High Court remained open during the Diwali holiday to address a case involving four voters from the Mendi Gram Panchayat in Bundi district. Justices Indrajit Singh and Sandeep Taneja rejected an appeal from the State Election Commission, thereby upholding the relief granted to the voters.
The court ruled that once the election process begins, no changes can be made to the electoral roll. This decision followed a challenge to a November 4 order from a single bench that annulled a decision by the Bundi District Election Officer, which had removed the names of the four voters from the Mendi Gram Panchayat electoral list.
The residents—Indrajit Singh, Sunita Devi, Sudesh Kumar, and Sunita Kumari—were initially registered as voters in the Sukhpura Gram Panchayat. Their names were later added to the Mendi Gram Panchayat list on February 7. However, Bahadur Singh raised an objection to their inclusion. The returning officer dismissed this objection on October 2, and the State Election Commission announced the schedule for the panchayat elections the following day.
On October 13, Bahadur Singh filed an appeal with the Bundi District Election Officer. On October 17, the officer issued notices to the four voters and ordered their names removed from the electoral list the next day. The voters challenged this decision in the High Court.
After hearing the case, Justice Anand Sharma’s single bench overturned the removal order on November 4. Subsequently, the State Election Commission, the Bundi District Election Officer, and the Hindoli Electoral Registration Officer appealed this decision to the division bench.
During the proceedings, the State Election Commission’s lawyer argued that since the election schedule was announced on October 3, the District Election Officer still had the authority to exercise his legal powers. The division bench dismissed this argument, reaffirming that no changes can be made to the electoral roll once the election process has commenced. The bench declined to interfere with the single bench’s order, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal and providing relief to the four voters.
