Hyderabad: The Telangana government has sought an extension of time from the High Court for conducting local body elections. Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy filed a petition requesting the court to extend the deadline until September 30 for completing the election process.
The issue arose due to pending approval from President Droupadi Murmu on bills related to BC reservations, which were passed by the state assembly five months ago. The Panchayat Raj Act had been amended to exceed the 50 percent reservation cap through an ordinance, which was forwarded by the Governor to the President for approval.
With the provision of 42 percent reservations for backward classes (BCs) facing legal hurdles, the state government, through the Advocate General, urged the High Court to grant more time so that necessary steps could be taken to safeguard BC representation. The petition expressed hope that the Governor and President would soon give a positive decision, making it possible to proceed with elections after resolving the matter of reservations.
It may be recalled that on June 24, the Telangana High Court directed the government to complete the local body election process by September 30. The order was delivered by Justice Madhavi Devi, who also instructed both the state government and the State Election Commission to finalize ward delimitation within 30 days. The court’s order had cleared the way for holding MPTC and ZPTC elections in the state.
The government has already carried out a caste survey to facilitate 42 percent BC reservations in local bodies. With the fresh request for extension, it remains to be seen what stance the High Court will take on the matter.
