Uttarakhand High Court strict on civic elections, issued notice to Principal Secretary of Urban Development and sought reply within 48 hours
Taking seriously the matter of not holding civic elections in the state on time, the Uttarakhand High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Principal Secretary of Urban Development Department RK Sudhanshu and asked him to respond within 48 hours. The matter will be heard on June 11.
Senior Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari’s bench issued notices while hearing the contempt petition filed by Nainital resident Rajiv Lochan Sah. The petitioner said that the tenure of municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Uttarakhand ended on December 02 last year. The government handed over the bodies to administrators. Meanwhile, the tenure of administrators ended on June 02 and the government again extended the tenure of administrators by three months. The government has failed to conduct elections.
The court issued notice to the Chief Secretary
It was also said on behalf of the petitioner that while hearing the PIL filed in the Rajiv Lochan Sah vs State Government case, the court had issued orders on January 09, 2024 and April 16, 2024 and directed to conduct elections on time, but the state government has failed. In the contempt petition, Principal Secretary RK Sudhanshu and Additional Secretary Nitin Bhadauriya have been made parties and action has been demanded against them. The court has issued a notice to the Principal Secretary and asked him to respond within 48 hours.
