HC defers civic polls by 6 weeks

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday deferred elections of municipal corporations in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota by six weeks, said the petitioner’s counsel.

Polling for councillors in 560 wards of the municipal corporation of Jaipur Heritage, Jaipur Greater, Jodhpur north, Jodhpur south, Kota north and Kota south were scheduled to be held on April 5.

Hearing an application moved by the state government, the division bench of Justice Sangeet Lodha and Justice Manoj Kumar Vyas held that the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Government of India, and the elections should be deferred looking into the outbreak of the disease.

The bench deferred the elections for six weeks from April 17, 2020. Notification for the election of ward councillor was scheduled to be issued on March 19.

Council for the petitioner, Anand Sharma said the court has restrained the state election commission to issue notification of the elections at six municipal corporations, which was to be issued on March 19.

He said the division bench has deferred the election for six weeks from April 17 in view of the coronavirus outbreak, and further liberty has been given to state government to move any application incase the situation does not improve.

In November 2019, the division bench of Rajasthan High Court had directed the government to hold elections on the newly constituted municipal corporation within six months.

The court directed on a petition filed by Satish Kumar Sharma challenging the government decision of splitting the Jaipur Municipal Corporation into Jaipur Heritage and Jaipur Greater. “The respondents (state government and others) have undertaken to complete the process of election for the newly constituted Municipal Corporation, Jaipur Heritage as well as Municipal Corporation, Jaipur Greater within the prescribed period i.e. six months from the date the two new Municipal Corporations have come into existence. We expect from the authorities to complete the election process within 6 months from October 18, 2019,” said the court in the judgment.

After requests from MLAS and district collectors to postpone the civic polls, the local self government department had written to state election commission for the same. The Commission in its reply had conveyed that the elections are being held on the directions of High Court and it cannot be violated.