Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday ordered the state government and State Election Commission (SEC) to complete all pending local body elections by September 30, issuing a firm deadline following long-pending delays.
Justice T. Madhavi Devi issued the directive while pronouncing verdict on petitions filed by former sarpanches who challenged the government’s failure to hold elections even after the expiry of local body terms.
The court instructed that ward delimitation be completed within 30 days.
During the hearing, the government sought an additional 30 days to finalise Backward Class (BC) reservations, while the SEC requested 60 days to conduct the election process after the government’s go-ahead.
The court, however, rejected both requests and directed that the entire election process, including necessary preparations, be wrapped up by September 30.
The petitioners pointed out that despite the expiry of panchayat governing bodies on January 31, 2023, no elections were held and administration was handed over to special officers. They argued this had led to stagnation in rural development and turned villages into centres of unresolved issues.
They further submitted that due to lack of central and state funds, several former sarpanches had completed pending works using personal money, and were now facing financial stress with bills left unpaid. Some had reportedly died by suicide.
The petitioners also requested that in the absence of timely elections, the state should reinstate the previously elected sarpanch bodies instead of running local administration through special officers.
Additional Advocate General Imran Khan, representing the state, argued that elections could only proceed after the BC reservation process was finalised in line with Supreme Court guidelines. He requested one month’s time for that purpose.
Advocate Vidyasagar, appearing for the SEC, maintained that the responsibility of finalising reservations lay with the government. He added that the commission would require at least 60 days to complete poll conduct once the state gave clearance.
After hearing all arguments, Justice Madhavi Devi directed both the government and SEC to complete the entire process and conduct elections by September 30 without fail.
