HYDERABAD: Taking serious exception to the conduct of elections to urban local bodies, the Telangana High Court on Thursday asked the State Election Commission (SEC) whether polls to the local bodies were so important even when the killer pandemic was playing havoc with people's lives.
The High Court, during a hearing on the status of the COVID-19 outbreak in the state, wondered why the SEC cannot take a decision on its own without consulting the government. The elections are scheduled for April 30 for two municipal corporations and five municipalities in the state.
The court, expressing dissatisfaction at the SEC, wanted to know whether it was the elections or the people's lives that were more important. It wanted to know if the SEC officials were living on earth or in the sky. It wanted the officials to appear before the court as the explanation that they had submitted was not complete in all respects. It wanted to know if it does not have any powers to take an independent decision to defer the elections and also asked the SEC why it had given the notification for elections in April when the COVID-19 second wave was rising in February itself.
It also found fault with the government for its alleged lack of seriousness in controlling the spread of the infection. The government is yet to take a decision on the continuation of the night curfew though the deadline will end on Friday. It wanted to know why the government cannot decide today instead of attending to it on Friday when the court was informed there was still one day's time.
The court made it clear that it was not giving any suggestions to the government but was only asking for measures to arrest the spread of the pandemic, keeping in mind the ground realities.