JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has issued contempt notices to the State Election Commission and State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh over delays in conducting Gram Panchayat and local body elections in the state.
The Court questioned how the Commission released a schedule for the revision of the voter list that extends beyond the timeline fixed by the High Court earlier. It has directed the Commission to submit a detailed response within four weeks.
The matter was heard by a Division Bench led by Acting Chief Justice SP Sharma while considering a contempt petition filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha.
The High Court had, on November 14, 2025, directed that Panchayat and local body elections in Rajasthan be conducted by April 15, 2026. However, no election schedule has been announced so far.
During the hearing, Lodha's counsel, Advocate Puneet Singhavi, informed the Court that the State Election Commission has proposed publishing the final voter list on April 22—making it impossible to hold elections within the April 15 deadline.
Before moving the Court, Lodha had served a legal notice to both the State Government and the Election Commission, seeking alignment of the voter list revision schedule with the April 15 deadline. The notice also warned of contempt proceedings in case of non-compliance.
Following this, a contempt petition was filed, leading to the present proceedings. The Bench asked how the Commission could issue a schedule that effectively violates the Court’s earlier directive. It emphasised that the primary concern was the apparent defiance of its orders.
During the hearing, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad, appearing for the State Government, submitted that the government intends to file a petition seeking postponement of the elections. The Court, however, observed that such matters could be considered separately, while the immediate issue was the Commission’s decision to extend the timeline.
The High Court’s November 2025 order came while disposing of 439 petitions, directing the State Government to complete the delimitation process by December 31, 2025, and conduct elections by April 15, 2026.
The Supreme Court of India had also upheld this timeline during hearings on related petitions. With the deadline approaching and no election schedule in place, the High Court has now sought accountability from both the State Government and the Election Commission.