Elections to Urban Local Bodies postponed by 9 weeks

Bangalore, Apr 16 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today postponed the April 24 elections to Urban Local Bodies by nine weeks, granting time to the State Government to set right the serious lapses in reservation by rotation method for holding the polls.

Mr Justice Ramamohan Reddy accepted the State Government's submissions in this regard and disposed of a batch of writ petitions, filed by one Hemanthgowda Patil and others challenging the infirmities, errors and arbitrariness in issuing notification to Mundargi municipality and various other CMCs incorporating reservation for different categories in different wards for the Urban Local Bodies polls.

The court also upheld the stand of the State Election Commission that the election process had begun with the Commission coming out with the calendar of events on April ten, notifying the election date as April 24. As there was serious infirmity as admitted by the Government, there was an exceptional circumstance to justify interference of election process. In view of the assurance of the State Government that in nine weeks the entire process of setting right the reservation would be completed, refusal to hear the same would result in holding elections in terms of the April ten order, which would be contrary to the Constitutional mandate, it observed.

The court observed that had the State Government completed the process of delimitation and reservations in accordance with the Constitutional requirements much before the election process commenced, it would not have faced this predicament.

UNI