The Rajasthan High Court postponed a contempt petition hearing against the State Election Commission regarding the delay in organizing Panchayat and local body elections. The Division Bench, led by Justice Mahendar Kumar Goyal and Justice Anil Kumar Upman, rescheduled the hearing to May 26. This decision followed another Division Bench’s reservation of its verdict on the State Government and Election Commission’s requests to postpone the polls.
Former MLA Sanyam Lodha, Girraj Singh Devanda, and others filed the contempt petition, accusing the State Government and Election Commission of intentionally stalling the elections despite court directives. The petition highlighted the Commission’s setting of April 22 as the final voter list publication date, conflicting with the court’s April 15 deadline for the election process. Allegations of willful disobedience of court orders and contempt of court were raised.
Lodha emphasized the prolonged delay in conducting Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections, leading to a “constitutional crisis” in Rajasthan for over a year. He expressed concerns over the distress caused by administrators replacing elected representatives. A separate Division Bench, including Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjeet Purohit, heard applications for election postponement until December due to administrative and other circumstances cited by the State Government.
