Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the state government and the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Delimitation Commission for delaying the conduct of district and taluk panchayat elections.
The High Court has given the government a deadline of February 1, 2023 to complete the entire process of reservation and delimitation.
Justice. Prasanna B Varale, . A division bench headed by Justice Ashok S Kinagi, issued this order and the court hearing the impleading petition filed by the Delimitation Commission to the public interest petition filed by the State Election Commission (SEC), was given 12 weeks twice to complete the election and other processes. The court observed that there was not even an inch of growth in 12 weeks.
The state government is working at a slow pace regarding delimitation. The commission had sought an extension of 90 days, but the court expressed displeasure that the government officials were moving at a snail’s pace.
