The Oommen Chandy government in Kerala has suffered a major political setback with a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court allowing the State Election Commission to go ahead with its plans to conduct the local government elections as scheduled in October.
The Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan, refused to overturn the decision of a Single Bench, which had set aside the government notification forming 69 new panchayats. According to reports, the Division Bench said the State Election Commission is free to decide how the elections should be conducted. The elections are due in October and the newly elected local government councils should take charge on November 1.
The State Election Commission had submitted before the Division Bench that conduct of the elections could delayed by as much as six months if the delimitation of wards carried out by the government, leading to formation of the 69 new panchayats, was to be accepted. The government had, on the other hand, claimed that it could be done in less than three months. The government argument has, apparently, not found favour with the Division Bench.
Rejecting the government plea, the Court directed the government to provide all possible assistance to the State Election Commission to discharge its constitutional responsibility to conduct the elections on time.
