6 months ago
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The Delhi High Court connected Monday (December 1, 2025) criticised the Union Government for failing to clasp Cantonment Boards’ elections crossed the state for much than 5 years. The Boards autumn nether the Ministry of Defence.
Noting that India is simply a antiauthoritarian state and hence determination is simply a request to person democratically elected Cantonment Boards, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela pulled up the Centre for issuing multiple notifications to govern the boards with officials.
The Bench said, “Special notifications could lone beryllium issued connected peculiar occasions, specified arsenic successful the lawsuit of a subject operation. It said the government’s enactment mightiness beryllium seen arsenic a misuse of its powers.”
Issuing announcement to the Union Government and the Director General Defence Estates (DGDE) connected a plea filed by Sandeep Tanwar and Yogesh Kumar, the Court directed them to record a effect explaining the reasons for hold successful polls and repeated issuance of notices nether Section 13.
The lawsuit volition beryllium heard connected March 11, 2026. The plea filed by Mr. Tanwar and Mr. Kumar, residents of Delhi and Agra cantonments, stated that the authorities had failed to behaviour the polls for much than a decade. They alleged a bid to change the constitution of the Cantonment Boards.
The Centre’s counsel stated that the Cantonment Boards’ polls were delayed due to the fact that the authorities was mulling steps to bring uniformity successful the municipal laws and the cantonments. The connection of merger oregon accession of civilian areas of definite Cantonment Boards to their adjoining municipal bodies was besides nether consideration.
There are presently astir 60 Cantonment Boards dispersed crossed assorted States. These boards negociate civic issues successful areas. The past polls took spot successful January 2015 and the tenure of those members ended successful 2020.
