Jharkhand HC raps govt for delay in municipal polls, issues contempt notice to top IAS officers

Ranchi, Sep 10 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the state government for failing to conduct municipal elections despite repeated directions.

Expressing serious displeasure, the court said that the government has disobeyed its orders and initiated contempt proceedings against senior bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari.

A bench of Justice Ananda Sen issued notices to the Chief Secretary, former Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department Vinay Chaubey, IAS officers Vandana Dadel and Gyanesh Kumar, among others, directing them to appear in person during the next hearing on October 14.

The court also said that charges would be framed against them for willful disobedience.

During the hearing, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan submitted that the state was in the process of conducting the “triple test” to fix OBC reservation quotas in urban local bodies, and elections would be held thereafter.

The court, however, rejected this argument and said that the government was playing with the court’s order as well as the law.

The case stems from a contempt petition filed by outgoing Ranchi Municipal Corporation councillor Roshni Khalkho, who had moved the court after the January 4, 2024, order was ignored.

At that time, the High Court had directed the state to conduct elections to all urban local bodies within three weeks.

Despite this, no polls have been held to date. Advocate Vinod Singh, representing the petitioner, pressed for strict action against the officials responsible.

The tenure of all municipal bodies in Jharkhand ended in April 2023, and elections were due by April 27 that year. However, citing the need to determine OBC reservation through a triple test, the state government deferred the process.

The triple test, initiated more than a year ago, has yet to be completed.

In the meantime, the administration of all municipal corporations, municipalities, municipal councils, and nagar panchayats in the state has been handed over to government-appointed administrators, leaving elected representatives with no role in urban governance for over two years.

--IANS

snc/skp/uk