Gauhati HC directs Arunachal govt to conduct rural polls by Dec

The Gauhati High Court has directed the Arunachal Pradesh government to conduct the rural polls in the state by December this year.

The term of the three-tier Panchayat bodies had expired on May 31.

A change in the structure from the three-tier Panchayati Raj system to a two-tier one has apparently delayed the rural election in the state.

The directions by Itanagar permanent bench of Gauhati High Court on Wednesday came in the wake of a writ petition filed by former Kurung Kumey zilla parishad chairman Sangha Tagik seeking the court's intervention in view of the delay in the conduct of panchayat polls.

The court in its judgment said, "A writ of mandamus is hereby issued to avert a constitutional crisis in the state, directing the government of Arunachal Pradesh to suitably revise its action plan, so as to complete the exercise by November 30, 2018, and thereafter the state Election Commission shall start its exercise for holding the general election to the Panchayats."