Rajasthan HC stays earlier order on panchayat elections

Jaipur, Aug 25 The Rajasthan High Court's division bench, on Monday, stayed the order of its single bench directing the state government to hold panchayat elections at the earliest and remove government-appointed administrators.

On August 18, the single bench of the high court had ordered the state to conduct elections soon and to discontinue the arrangement of administrators in panchayats.

Challenging this court order, the state government appealed before the division bench.

Hearing the matter on Monday, the bench of Justice S.P. Sharma stayed the earlier court order.

Advocate General Rajendra Prasad, appearing for the Rajasthan government, said that the division bench of the High Court has already reserved its judgment on a PIL regarding Panchayat elections and delimitation, and hence the single bench of the High Court should not have interfered in a parallel case.

The state government has said that it intends to hold elections for all panchayats and local bodies simultaneously.

To ensure smooth functioning in the interim, outgoing sarpanches were appointed as administrators.

Some were later removed following complaints.

The government's plea said that since these posts were temporary, no legal rights were violated by their removal.

The single bench's order had prompted the State Election Commission (SEC) to announce elections soon.

However, the state government is pushing for simultaneous polls under its 'One State, One Election' plan, citing delays caused by delimitation and the reorganisation of wards after the creation of new districts.

This divergence has led to a tussle between the commission and the state government.

The last ward reorganisation in Rajasthan was carried out in 2019, when the state had 196 urban local bodies. In the past six years, 113 new bodies have been created, where elections will be held for the first time.

At present, 134 out of the 309 bodies are functioning without elected representatives, their administration being managed by appointed officials.

With the High Court resuming hearings and the SEC pushing ahead with preparations, the state government’s preference for synchronised polls and the commission's insistence on timely elections have set the stage for a legal and political confrontation in Rajasthan.

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