SC declines Karnataka Govt plea on local bodies poll

The Supreme Court today refused to accept Karnataka Government's plea to modify a High Court order declining to postpone elections to local bodies, but only extended the time-frame to complete the poll process by eight weeks.
A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu expressed displeasure over the state government expressing its readiness on May 5 to conduct the polls, following which an order was passed to conclude it within three months.
It noted that despite that order, the state government moved the High Court for postponement, which was declined.
Taking note of the fact, the bench said "at the most, we can give some time to complete the poll process but would not allow you to tinker with the judgement of the High Court."

"By this application you cannot be asking us to review the order," the bench, which also comprised Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy, said while refusing to look into the issue of delimitation or rotation of reserved seats.
The apex court accepted the plea to extend by eight weeks the time frame for completing the poll process, which the state election commission has decided to start from July 28.

The bench reminded a battery of senior advocates appearing in the matter about the May 5 proceedings when the state government had conveyed that the state machinery was ready to conduct the polls within three months.

The apex court had taken the submission of the state government on record and set aside a division bench decision of the Karnataka High Court of April 24.
The division bench of the high court had on April 24 refused to interfere into the government's decision to appoint an administrator at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
The single judge had on March 30 directed that the elections to the BBMP be conducted and concluded on or before May 30 and passed directions with regard to rotation of seats for reserved categories for various wards of the BBMP.