Telangana High Court questions government over delay in local body elections

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday questioned the state government and the Election Commission on Telangana local body elections. The bench asked both authorities to clarify when they would conduct the long-pending polls.

The court heard a petition filed by advocate Surender. He sought a re-notification for the local body elections. Judges asked officials to reveal the schedule without further delay. They reminded them that the Supreme Court had already urged the state to move forward with the process.

The Election Commission’s counsel said the Supreme Court gave only oral remarks. “That point was not part of the written order,” he told the bench.

Government and EC seek two weeks to update the Telangana High Court

The Election Commission said it had already written to the government. It is planned to issue a re-notification after further discussions. Both the Commission and the state government asked the court for two weeks to file their response.

The bench accepted the request and granted the time sought. It postponed the hearing for two weeks.

Meanwhile, petitions challenging GO 9, which offers a 42 per cent BC reservation in local bodies, are still pending. The High Court earlier stayed that order until further review.