Cuttack: The long-pending path for the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections has finally been cleared after nearly a decade. The Orissa High Court on Tuesday delivered its final verdict in a case that had stalled the polls since 2015.
A bench headed by Justice R.K. Pattnaik quashed the ward reservation notification issued earlier by the state government, citing violations of reservation rules. The court directed the government to issue a fresh ward reservation notification within six weeks, strictly adhering to the rule that reservation must not exceed 50 percent.
The judgment came in response to a petition filed by Ajay Kumar Mohanty, who had challenged the earlier notification on grounds that it provided reservation for more than 50 percent of wards—contravening the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter. Acting on the petition, the High Court had issued an interim stay in April 2015, effectively stalling the SMC elections for almost ten years.
The SMC was officially formed through a Housing and Urban Development Department notification on September 15, 2013, by merging Hirakud NAC, Burla NAC, and 12 Gram Panchayats. At the time, there was widespread expectation that elected representatives would address civic issues and strengthen delivery of basic services. However, the dispute over ward reservations prevented the polls from being conducted.
With today’s verdict, the legal hurdle has been removed, paving the way for elections in Odisha’s fourth municipal corporation after Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur. The High Court’s ruling has renewed hope among residents of Sambalpur that they will soon get an elected civic body to address their long-standing demands for improved infrastructure and public services.
On behalf of intervener Prakash Kumar Satapathy, advocate Kaushik Anand Guru represented the case.
