Punjab and Haryana High Court issues notice to state on delay in MC elections

Just over 20 days after the State of Punjab and its election commission was directed to initiate the process of notifying election programmes in municipalities and municipal corporations, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the officer concerned would reimburse Rs 50,000 as litigation costs following failure to file compliance report. The assertion came as Justice Harkesh Manuja issued notice of motion on a petition alleging contempt of court.

As the matter came up for preliminary hearing, the State counsel accepted notice of motion on the court’s asking before praying for 10 days’ time to file compliance report. “Considering the fact that the direction to consider the petitioner’s claim was passed on October 14, a period of more than 22 days has gone by. In case, the compliance report is not filed within the stipulated period, the officer concerned shall appear before the court through videoconferencing and would reimburse litigation cost to the petitioner to the tune of Rs 50,000 from his own pocket,” Justice Manuja asserted. The Bench, hearing the petition, had earlier asserted that the court had no hesitation in issuing a writ of mandamus directing the State Election Commission, Punjab, and the State of Punjab, to forthwith comply with the constitutional mandate and initiate “the process of holding elections by notifying election programmes in all the municipalities and municipal corporations in question within 15 days from the date of this order without conducting the fresh exercise of delimitation”.