Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has given the state government a four-month deadline to conduct civic elections, following a contempt petition filed over delays in holding the polls. Justice Anand Sen, during the hearing, expressed dissatisfaction with the state’s failure to comply with a previous court order mandating elections within three weeks.
The state government explained that the process to determine reservation eligibility for backward classes, known as the “triple test,” is nearing completion at the district level, with only a few districts remaining. However, the government cited delays in obtaining the voter list from the Election Commission as a key factor in the postponement.
Despite these explanations, the court was critical, referencing past rulings by both the Supreme Court and the High Court that stressed civic elections should not be delayed for the completion of the triple test. The court noted that the government’s failure to hold the elections as directed constituted contempt of court.
The contempt petition was filed by outgoing councilor Roshni Khalkho, who has urged the immediate conduct of the elections. Previously, the Jharkhand High Court had reprimanded the government for the delays, emphasizing that the elections should not be postponed indefinitely under the pretext of the ongoing reservation process for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in municipal bodies.
