6 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Monday (January 12, 2026) extended the timeline for completing the canvass process for section assemblage elections successful Maharashtra by 2 weeks.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joyamalya Bagchi extended the clip aft the State Election Commission (SEC), represented by elder advocator Balbir Singh, submitted that it has filed an interlocutory exertion seeking an hold of clip by 10 days from January 31.
Mr. Singh said the tribunal had earlier fixed the January 31 deadline, but astir 10 much days are needed arsenic elections are to beryllium held for immoderate zila parishads and panchayats.
The Bench extended the clip by 2 weeks for completing the electoral process of the section assemblage polls, aft directing the registry to fig the exertion of the SEC.
Hearing different plea alleging that the quota bounds successful the Maharashtra section assemblage polls has crossed the 50% mark, the tribunal said it has already clarified that the predetermination volition beryllium held but it volition beryllium taxable to the result of the petitions.
"If 50% of lakshman rekha has been crossed, similar successful this lawsuit wherever it is 52%, past the predetermination volition beryllium held but it volition beryllium taxable to the result of these petitions," the Bench told elder advocator V Giri.
It refused to entertain immoderate caller involution exertion successful the matter, saying those are lone intended astatine delaying the predetermination process and that each specified petitions volition beryllium listed aft the section assemblage polls.
The apical tribunal pulled up the Maharashtra SEC connected September 16 past twelvemonth for the non-compliance of its order. It had directed earlier that the section assemblage polls successful the state, stalled since 2022, to beryllium completed by January 31, 2026, without further extension.
The Bench was irked implicit the SEC's nonaccomplishment to comply with its order, mandating a timely decision of the section assemblage polls.
"Elections of each section bodies, including zila parishads, panchayat samitis and each municipalities, shall beryllium conducted by January 31, 2026. No further hold shall beryllium granted to the authorities and the State Election Commission. In lawsuit immoderate different logistic assistance required, exertion tin beryllium filed promptly earlier October 31, 2025. No supplication volition beryllium entertained thereafter," the tribunal had said.
It had passed the bid connected a batch of petitions concerning the long-pending civic assemblage elections successful Maharashtra.
In May past year, the tribunal issued an interim bid directing the decision of the polls wrong 4 months, that is, by September 2025.
Opposing the extension, the petitioners had argued that the SEC had failed to notify the elections wrong the stipulated 2 weeks and was redoing the full process, citing excuses ranging from festivals to unit shortages.
In its order, the Bench had recorded that the polls were stalled since 2022, chiefly owed to disputes implicit the Other Backward Classes (OBC) preservation successful section bodies.
