HC extends deadline to state govt for reply on local body polls

 Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court on Monday extended the deadline given to the state government to file its response on a PIL questioning its failure to conduct local body elections in the state.

The bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti was dealing with a PIL filed by Rapolu Bhaskar, a practising advocate in the High Court, who complained that elections to the Zilla Parishad, Mandal Parishad and Gram Panchayats in the entire state of Telangana — for electing 220 sarpanchs, 94 MPTCs, 4 ZPTCs, 5,364 ward members and 344 deputy sarpanchs — have not been conducted for years.

The bench, after considering the changed circumstances and the formation of a new government, directed the state government to file its response within six weeks.