The Supreme Court today asked theKarnataka government to extend "full cooperation" to the stateelection commission in holding upcoming polls for urban localbodies.
"Keeping in view the background facts and the orderspassed by the High Court and this court, we consider itappropriate to direct the Chief Secretary of Karnatakagovernment and subordinate officials to extend fullcooperation in holding of elections for the urban localbodies," a bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi said.
The court also directed its registry to intimate thestate government about its order by tomorrow on the issue.
"No officials can make any attempt to frustrate theelection process...," the bench said and allowed a PIL filedby Dalit Sangharsh Samithi to be withdrawn.
Earlier, during the hearing, the court said it seemedthat the Samithi was involved in "shadow boxing" as thepetition did not allege anything against the stategovernment.
"You do not find fault with the state governmment andrather you faulted the state election commission. Coming tothe Supreme Court is not a joke. It seems it is a shadowboxing," the bench observed when the Samithi sought thepermission to withdraw the PIL.
However, the bench allowed the withdrawal of thepetition with a direction to the state government to extendcooperation to the poll panel in holding the elections for theurban local bodies--Town Panchayats, City Municipal Councils,Town Municipal Councils and City Municipal orporations--there.