BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court directed the Bengaluru Rural Deputy Commissioner to defer the publication of calendar of events for holding election to Nelamangala Town Municipal Council by four weeks.
The interim order to this effect was passed by Justice B M Shyam Prasad. A petition filed by N P Hemanth Kumar, ex-councillor of Nelamangala Town Municipal Council, challenged the communication issued by the State Election Commission (SEC) to the Deputy Commissioner on May 2 to publish the calendar of events for Nelamangala Town Municipal Council polls.
The court also issued a notice to the State Election Commission, Urban Development Department and Bengaluru Rural Deputy Commissioner. The petitioner stated that the term of the Nelamangala Town Municipal Council has expired. The state Cabinet had approved the conversion of Nelamangala Town Municipal Council into a City Municipal Council with the inclusion of certain taluk/gram panchayats and had forwarded the file to the Governor. However, the Governor returned the file in view of the Model Code of Conduct in place due to the Lok Sabha elections.
On May 3, the government addressed the communication to the SEC to consider holding Nelamangala Town Municipal Council polls.