Nainital (News Trust of India) : The Nainital High Court has called for the Secretary of Urban Development in relation to the municipal elections in Uttarakhand. The tenure of municipal organizations in Uttarakhand ended on December 2, 2023, however the administration and the State Election Commission have not yet announced the timetable for civic elections. A legal dispute based on public interest was brought before the Uttarakhand High Court, and the proceedings took place on Wednesday.
In the city of Dehradun, the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding municipal elections in Uttarakhand was discussed at the Nainital High Court on December 3, with the division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Vivek Bharti Sharma. The government’s response did not satisfy the division bench during the hearing. As a result, the panel of judges has requested the presence of the Secretary of Urban Development in court on Tuesday, January 9.
The government and the State Election Commission have chosen not to reveal the schedule for municipal elections, leading to a court hearing. The Nainital High Court recently questioned the state administration over the delayed start of the election process, given that the mandate of the municipalities is set to expire on December 2.
The court also requested information from the State Election Commission about their preparations for conducting the elections. A public interest lawsuit, started by Anees from Jaspur, argued that the term of municipalities in the state, including Jaspur Municipality, ends on December 2. However, the government is yet to declare the election calendar, contrary to the Supreme Court’s ruling. The Supreme Court, in its decision in the case of Kishan Singh Tomar versus Central Government, highlighted that the election date should be issued six months before the end of the five-year term of municipalities. This assures the prompt creation of the next board. Nevertheless, with less than two months away, the government has not released the election schedule. The PIL seeks the court to instruct the state administration to swiftly announce the election schedule.
