Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the State Election Commission to complete the three-tier panchayat election process within three months.
The court also upheld the state government’s decision to appoint outgoing gram pradhans as administrators after the expiry of the gram panchayats’ tenure.
A division bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Garima Prasad, while hearing the matters, made it clear that the outgoing gram pradhans would continue to function as administrators.
Under the court’s order, the state government and the State Election Commission will have to complete the panchayat elections within the stipulated three-month period.
The matter came before the court after the state government decided to appoint outgoing gram pradhans as administrators following the expiry of their term.
A total of 11 petitions, including six Public Interest Litigations (PILs), were filed before the High Court challenging the arrangement. The petitioners sought timely conduct of the panchayat elections and a clear deadline for completing the electoral process.
The petitioners argued that the election process should have been completed before the expiry of the panchayats’ tenure to ensure the timely constitution of elected bodies.
The issue of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the panchayat elections also came up during the hearing.
The court clarified that the OBC Commission would continue its work, but the panchayat election process would not be dependent on the completion of its exercise.
According to the court’s directions, the elections will be conducted under the existing rules, while adhering to the 27 per cent reservation provision.
The High Court’s ruling is expected to end the legal uncertainty surrounding the panchayat elections. However, the State Election Commission will determine the election dates and the phase-wise schedule.
In connection with the matter, the court also sought an affidavit from the State Election Commission, asking it to clarify whether it was in a position to hold the elections on time in accordance with the constitutional mandate under Article 243-E and why the electoral process could not be completed within the prescribed timeframe.
On Wednesday, the division bench delivered its ruling in open court after concluding the hearing on all the related petitions.
(IANS)
