look news india
The stir in the political and legal circles regarding the three-tier Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh has suddenly become very intense. The Allahabad High Court has taken a very tough stance on the petition challenging the decision of the Uttar Pradesh government to remove village heads and appoint government officials as administrators after their tenure ends. While hearing this case, the Honorable High Court has expressed strong displeasure towards the State Government and the Election Commission. The court has clearly asked the government to answer as to when will the Panchayat elections be held in the state? The court has sought details of the exact time frame and dates of the upcoming elections from the government, after which there has been a stir among the administrative staff.
Why did the village head reach the court? This decision of the government has been openly challenged
The root of this entire controversy is the order of the Uttar Pradesh government, under which the command of the villages was handed over to the Assistant Development Officers (ADO) or other government administrators as soon as the tenure of the village heads ended. Many village heads and social workers had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Allahabad High Court against this move of the government. The petitioners argue that in a democratic system, replacing public elected representatives with government officials is against the basic spirit of the Panchayati Raj Act. Village heads say that until new elections are held, the existing heads should be given the responsibility as caretakers to run the development works smoothly.
Allahabad High Court expressed strong displeasure, said- delay in democracy cannot be tolerated
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the division bench of Allahabad High Court has made a very serious comment on it. The court said that conducting Gram Panchayat elections on time is a constitutional imperative and any kind of hesitation or delay in it cannot be tolerated. Asking sharp questions to the government lawyers, the court said that the appointment of administrators is not a permanent solution. The court has given strict instructions to the State Election Commission and the UP government to present the complete blueprint for holding Panchayat elections and the list of possible dates before the court by the next hearing. It is clear from this tough stance of the court that now the government will have to implement the election preparations as soon as possible.
Development work in villages came to a complete halt due to imposition of Administrator Raj!
The petitioners also argued before the court that since the appointment of administrators in the villages, development work at the grassroots level has completely come to a standstill. Government officials already have additional workload of many departments, due to which they are not able to pay attention to the minor problems of the villages like basic needs like drains, drains, cleanliness and street lights. In the absence of village heads, villagers have to go round the blocks to get their necessary certificates made and to avail the benefits of government schemes. The court listened to these arguments very seriously and considered that the delay in elections is a direct violation of the rights of the rural people.
Now what next? When can the date of UP Panchayat elections come?
After this unprecedented strictness of the High Court, now the Uttar Pradesh Government and the State Election Commission are seen on the backfoot. Legal experts believe that after this tough stance of the court, the Yogi government may have to announce the dates of Panchayat elections very soon. If Election Commission sources are to be believed, the work of revision of voter list and partial delimitation of wards has almost been completed. Now, as soon as the government presents its report before the court, there is every possibility that the code of conduct will be implemented in the state and the voting dates will be announced in phases. The eyes of lakhs of rural voters and future candidates of Uttar Pradesh are now fixed on the next hearing of the court.
