Hold panchayat polls within 6 months: Manipur HC tells state

The High Court of Manipur on August 29 directed the state government to conduct panchayat elections within six months, ending the uncertainty over the long-pending local body polls in the state.

The order was issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Kempaiah Somashekar and Justice Guneshwar Sharma while hearing petitions related to the delay in holding the polls.

Panchayat elections in Manipur were last held in 2017. Fresh polls were originally scheduled for June 2023 after the completion of the five-year term but have remained pending since then. In the meantime, Panchayati Raj institutions have been functioning through administrative committees appointed by the government.

In its order, the bench observed that to make the Panchayati Raj system workable, the state government can appoint fresh administrative committees for gram panchayats and administrators for zilla parishads, but only for a period not exceeding six months.

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The court also set aside all earlier state government orders that extended the tenure of administrative committees and administrators beyond the stipulated period. It stated, “All orders of appointment of the administrative committee of the gram panchayat and administrator for zilla parishad, issued by the state government in pursuance of the interim order dated 29.02.2024 for a term exceeding six months and till the elections are held, are hereby quashed.”

The bench categorically directed the state government to conduct fresh elections within six months, while also granting liberty to appoint temporary committees or administrators until then, strictly within the six-month ceiling.

The court’s intervention is expected to revive the functioning of Panchayati Raj institutions in Manipur, which have been running without elected representatives for over two years.