Jharkhand High Court slammed the state for failing to hold municipal polls despite orders and issued contempt notices to senior IAS officers. The court warned of framing charges for “willful disobedience.”
Ranchi: On September 10, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday strongly criticised the state government for not holding municipal elections, despite several reminders and clear orders from the court.
The judges expressed serious dissatisfaction and decided to begin contempt proceedings against senior officials, including Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari.
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A single 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, and others.
The court has ordered them to be present in person at the next hearing, which is scheduled for October 14.
The court further stated that charges will be framed against these officials for “willful disobedience.”
During the hearing, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan argued that the state was still completing the “triple test” required to decide OBC reservation quotas in urban local bodies.
He said that elections would take place once the process was completed. However, the court was not convinced. It firmly responded that the state government was
“playing with the court’s order as well as the law.”
The matter was taken up after a contempt petition was filed by outgoing Ranchi Municipal Corporation councillor Roshni Khalkho.
She approached the court when the state ignored the High Court’s order dated January 4, 2024. At that time, the court had clearly directed the government to conduct elections to all urban local bodies within three weeks.
Even after that deadline, no elections were organised. Advocate Vinod Singh, who appeared for the petitioner, urged the court to take strict action against those responsible for disobeying the order.
The background of the case shows that the tenure of all municipal bodies in Jharkhand had ended in April 2023. As per law, elections should have been conducted by April 27, 2023.
Instead, the government delayed the polls, citing the requirement of a “triple test” to fix OBC reservation in municipal bodies.
This triple test process began more than a year ago but has still not been completed. As a result, for over two years, elected representatives have had no role in running municipal bodies.
The daily administration of all corporations, municipalities, municipal councils, and nagar panchayats is currently being carried out by government-appointed administrators.
The High Court’s strong words and the decision to frame contempt charges mark a significant step, as it directly questions the accountability of top state officials in ensuring democratic processes at the local level.
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