HYDERABAD: Making it clear that the court cannot issue orders to hold panchayat elections without finalisation of backward classes population, justice Ramachandra Rao of the HC on Tuesday directed the State to file a counter affidavit on a petition seeking direction to election commission to hold panchayat elections and stay the appointment of special officers to 12,751 panchayats.
“I had passed an order in June directing the government to conduct enumeration of the BC population, identify the number of BC voters, invite objections from the public, to publish and finalise figures for reservation to BCs in accordance with the Constitution and then to decide on conducting polls to the panchayats. How can I pass an order contrary to my own order on the issue? As for appointment of special officers, it is a temporary arrangement till conduct of elections,” he noted.