Supreme Court upholds extension for Manipur panchayat polls till October

The Supreme Court on July 2 dismissed a plea challenging the Manipur High Court's decision to extend the deadline for conducting panchayat elections in the state until October 16, 2026, effectively allowing the revised timeline to remain in force.

A partial working day Bench of Justices N. Kotiswar Singh and N. V. Anjaria refused to interfere with the High Court's May 19 order, holding that there was no merit in the appeal filed by Pheiroijam Heramani and others.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur government, submitted that the state was bound to comply with the High Court's directions and could face contempt proceedings if the local body elections were not conducted within the stipulated timeframe.

The apex court accepted the submission and dismissed the appeal.

The Manipur High Court had earlier extended the deadline for the sixth general panchayat elections from its earlier direction, citing the state's prevailing law and order situation and the imposition of President's Rule since February 2025.

The High Court Bench of Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma had also paved the way for the implementation of a three-tier Panchayati Raj system in line with recent legislative amendments.

The extension came after the Manipur government sought a review of the High Court's August 2025 order, which had directed that panchayat elections be held within six months. The state argued that the prevailing circumstances made immediate elections impracticable.

Taking note of these "extraordinary circumstances," the High Court granted the state government and the State Election Commission time until October 16, 2026, to complete the electoral process.