Gauhati High Court bars Panchayat poll notifications without approval

Guwahati, Dec 20: The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam State Election Commission not to issue any notification regarding panchayat elections without prior court approval. The directive came during a hearing of writ petitions challenging the recent delimitation of panchayats across the state.

The Assam government had previously announced plans to complete panchayat elections with newly delimitated constituencies by February 10, 2024. However, the court has scheduled the next hearing for January 9, effectively delaying the election process.

"Till the next date fixed, the respondents shall not issue any notification without leave of the court," stated Justice Soumitra Saikia in his order on Wednesday.

During the hearing, Additional Advocate General K. Konwar, representing the State government, and R. Dubey, for the State Election Commission, informed the court that the process of finalizing electoral rolls was underway. Advocate A.K. Talukdar, representing a petitioner, argued that the court's order makes it impossible to meet the February 10 deadline for polls, as the Election Commission would require a mandatory 45-day period between notification and polling.

"This order is crucial because, once elections are declared, the court cannot intervene except to facilitate the process," Talukdar explained.

The court also acknowledged the State government's submission of its counter affidavit and allowed the petitioners' counsel additional time for instructions. The matter is now set for further hearing next month.