Telangana HC Notice to TS Govt on Sarpanch Elections

Justice Kaja Sarath was dealing with four petitions filed by sarpanchs from various gram panchayats across the state, seeking a direction from the court to the State Election Commission to hold the gram panchayat elections immediately, as the term of the offices of the sarpanches ended on January 31.

They also challenged the government’s proposal to appoint special officers in the place of the sarpanchs. They further requested the court to direct the government to allow them to hold office till the SEC conducted the gram panchayat elections.

Chinnolla Naresh Reddy, counsel appearing for one of the sarpanchs from Nirmal district, argued that the appointment of the special officers and handing over of the village administration to them is a violation of Article 243E and 243K of the Constitution and the provisions of the Telangana Gram Panchayats Act. So he requested the court to continue the existing sarpanchs till the new sarpanches were elected.

Justice Sarath, however, did not agree to extend the tenure of the incumbent sarpanchs and issued notices to the state government and the State Election Commission. The court asked them to submit their views on conducting elections to gram panchayats and appointing the special officers.

The petitioners also contend that they have spent their personal money running into lakhs of rupees to take up developmental works in their gram panchayats and the state is obligated to reimburse the money spent by them from the State Finance Commission. The state government on the other hand says that it will hold elections to the gram panchayats after the Lok Sabha elections.