HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, on Friday disposed of a writ petition filed by Telangana Rajyadhikara Party, seeking directions to the State Election Commission (SEC) to register it as a political party and allot a symbol to contest the upcoming local body elections.
The petition, filed by the party’s general secretary Sudagani Harishankar Goud, urged the court to direct the SEC to process its application expeditiously. Counsel for the petitioner argued that under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the application should be processed without delay, especially since the elections to local bodies could be notified soon.
Opposing the plea, senior counsel for SEC submitted that the 1951 Act does not apply to local body elections conducted by the State Election Commission. Instead, the process is governed by the Registration of Political Parties and Allotment of Symbols Order, 2018, as amended on December 7, 2023. He informed the court that the petitioner’s initial application filed on September 11, 2025, was defective and that the rectified application submitted on September 24 had not yet complied with mandatory requirements.
As per the Order 2018, the applicant party must publish a notice in two widely circulated newspapers and if no objections are received within 15 days of such publication, the commission can proceed with registration. The counsel stressed that this exercise has not yet been completed by the petitioner, rendering the writ petition premature. The petitioner’s counsel, however, undertook to comply with all requirements to enable consideration of the application. Taking note of the submissions, the bench held that the writ petition was premature and observed that the SEC must consider the application once the petitioner complies with the procedural requirements.
