Supreme Court Dismisses Petition Against Punjab Local Body Elections

The Supreme Court declined to hear a petition challenging the Punjab State Election Commission's decision to conduct elections for municipal corporations, councils, and panchayats via ballot papers on Monday (May 25). The bench, comprising Chief Justice Suryakant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, questioned petitioner Ruchita Garg about her late arrival in court, stating that the court cannot disrupt the electoral process at this stage. The bench remarked, 'Elections are scheduled for tomorrow; what can be done now? There is no time left.' They further indicated that there was no need to wait for the formal notification of the election schedule, emphasizing that the petitioner was aware of the impending elections and that there had been previous litigations on this matter.

The Supreme Court also refused to appoint observers for the elections, labeling it a serious prohibition. The petitioner's lawyer argued that the elections should be conducted using ballot papers and referenced a previous Supreme Court ruling that stated electronic voting machines (EVMs) should be the standard system. The Supreme Court was hearing a petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order, which had dismissed Garg's plea against the State Election Commission's decision to switch from EVMs to ballot papers for the upcoming local body elections in Punjab.

Voting for 104 local bodies, including eight municipal corporations in Punjab, is set for May 26, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 29. The State Election Commission had previously informed the High Court that the local body elections would be conducted via ballot papers due to the commission's failure to provide EVMs as per the established schedule. The state's lawyer opposed the petition based on its admissibility.