HC seeks panchayat polls schedule from Punjab

The order was passed by high court bench of justice Rajbir Sehrawat, hearing 2021 pleas from panchayats alleging non-compliance of the HC orders on conduct of elections for vacant seats of panches and others reported after last panchayat elections.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought the poll schedule for the Punjab panchayat polls by Thursday and made it clear that if the same is not produced, state’s election commissioner would have to remain present before the court.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the state’s counsel had told the court that not only the seats, which fell vacant after previous elections, but also the general election of all panchayats are to take place and the process for the same was on.

The order was passed by high court bench of justice Rajbir Sehrawat, hearing 2021 pleas from panchayats alleging non-compliance of the HC orders on conduct of elections for vacant seats of panches and others reported after last panchayat elections.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the state’s counsel had told the court that not only the seats, which fell vacant after previous elections, but also the general election of all panchayats are to take place and the process for the same was on.

On the other hand, the petitioner’s counsel had informed the court that the poll schedule has not been announced so far even as the government had been making promises about the same.

On August 10, the state government had notified the dissolution of panchayats and declared elections to gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishad. There are 13,241 panchayats, 22 zila parishads and 152 panchayat samitis in the state.

However, subsequently, the government withdrew the notification. But a fresh notification from the state election commission is awaited.

In view of this, the high court ordered that the state election commissioner remain present before the court; unless the schedule for election for gram panchayats is produced.