Madras HC Directs Puducherry Govt to Expedite Local Body Elections

The Madras High Court in Chennai has directed the Puducherry government to ensure that the process for conducting local body elections is completed as expeditiously as possible, following a plea highlighting that no civic polls have been held in the Union territory for roughly 14 years.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan issued the order on Thursday while disposing of a petition moved by former MP M Ramadoss, who is the president of the Puducherry Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. The petitioner had approached the court seeking directions to the territorial administration to expedite the civic poll process.

In response to the plea, the Puducherry government submitted that it is conscious of the constitutional importance of elected local bodies and has no intention of delaying the elections. However, the administration stated that holding the polls requires a legally sustainable reservation framework.

The territorial government informed the court that a one-man commission constituted for the purpose of examining reservations has submitted its report, and the administration is progressing with the matter. The government noted that the report requires detailed scrutiny before a final reservation notification can be issued.

Additionally, the government submitted that the office of the state election commission is currently vacant. Once the reservation framework is finalised, it will be transmitted to the state election commission for the allotment and rotation of reserved wards before further steps are taken. The administration stated that a period of 24 months would be required to complete these consequential procedures in accordance with law.

After recording the submissions made by the Puducherry government, the bench passed its order directing the administration to expedite the overall process.