The Punjab government will submit the schedule for polls to 95 municipal bodies in the state to the Punjab and Haryana high court by December 17.
This was submitted by the state's advocate general, Ashok Aggarwal, during the hearing of a petition borne out of suo motu notice taken by the HC. The bench headed by justice Surya Kant observed that there was a perception that the government was trying to delay the polls.
It also observed that a large number of petitions were being filed before the court challenging the government order of fresh delimitation of municipal bodies.
At the last hearing on November 26, the HC had set Wednesday's hearing for final argument after amicus curiae (lawyer assisting the court) Anupam Gupta said there appeared to be a deliberate attempt from the government to delay the polls and that it was for the court to enforce the constitutional mandate.
However, following the AG's submission that the government needed time, the HC set the next hearing for December 17.
The court had taken suo motu notice of the state government's failure to hold MC elections despite completion of their respective tenures in July last year.
The government later submitted that a decision was taken on May 28, 2013, to hold the elections, based on the 2011 census figures, but could not be implemented due to non-availability of population figures and electronic voting machines and also the parliamentary elections that came in between.
{{/usCountry}}The government later submitted that a decision was taken on May 28, 2013, to hold the elections, based on the 2011 census figures, but could not be implemented due to non-availability of population figures and electronic voting machines and also the parliamentary elections that came in between.
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