BENGALURU: The state government on Tuesday informed the Karnataka High Court that it will issue a notification of delimitation of constituencies today (Tuesday) and finalise a draft reservation notification inviting objections soon for conducting the elections to the taluk panchayats (TPs) and zilla panchayats (ZPs). Recording it as an undertaking, the division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the State Election Commission (SEC) in 2021.
Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty submitted that the notification of reservation of constituencies will be finalised two weeks after the completion of the process of receiving objections to the draft reservation notification to be issued in a week.
Directing him to place his assurance as an undertaking before the court by evening today (Tuesday), the court disposed of the petition.
On hearing submissions of senior counsel KN Phanindra, representing the SEC, the court said the petitioner can approach the court to initiate appropriate proceedings if there is any breach of an undertaking given by the Advocate General.
The SEC moved the court in 2021, seeking directions to the state government to declare that the process and steps already commenced by SEC for holding elections to all TP and ZPs in furtherance to the final delimitation notification dated March 30, 2021, and Draft Reservation Notifications dated July 1, 2021 be continued and completed expeditiously.
The process should keep in view the mandate under Article 243-E of the Constitution, irrespective of the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2021 in the interest of justice and equity, it added.