Court directs to conduct urban local bodies, IMC polls within Nov
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 16 2022: Apart from informing the government to convert into action the assurance it had given to conduct elections for 26 urban local bodies of six districts and Imphal Municipal Corporation within November this year, the High Court of Manipur closed a PIL filed in this regard.

The court of chief justice Sanjay Kumar and justice MV Mularidharan took up the case and pronounced the judgement on August 12.The judgement order said that the state cabinet had assured to conduct elections to urban local bodies and Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) but no formal notification has been issued.

As the government gave the firm assurance to conduct the elections, adequate time has been given to the government to translate the assurance into action and accordingly closed the PIL, the judgement order said.

During the hearing, petitioner's counsel M Rakesh said that the tenure of 26 urban local bodies of Imphal West, Imphal East, Jiribam, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur districts lapsed already but state authority is unable to take up process to conduct elections.

He cited COVID-19 pandemic as main reason behind state authority's inability to conduct the elections and sought court's help in con ducting the elections at the earliest.

Advocate general Lenin Hijam, who represented the government during the hearing, informed the court that government had already took the decision to conduct urban bodies and IMC elections within November this year but formal notification for the elections is yet to made.

After patient hearing of statements from both the sides, the court declared the PIL closed after directing state authority to take up necessary steps to conduct the elections.

Mention may be made that advocate S Shyamacharan filed the PIL on April 11 last with the prayer that the court issue necessary directive to relevant authority for conduct elections to urban local bodies and IMC as their tenure lapsed already and unable to conduct elections.

Nevertheless, the state cabinet during its sitting on April 21 this year decided to conduct elections to autonomous district council, urban local bodies and Panchayat in September/October this year.

The tenure for the last ADC election held in 2015 lapsed in 2020 but a decision of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) extended the tenure for six months.

Further extension of the tenure, however, was strongly opposed by ATSUM.

The tenures of urban local bodies and IMC too lapsed in 2021 and accordingly dissolved on June 15, 2021 .

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