The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the State Election Commission to hold by-elections to 13 seats of the three Municipal Corporations of the Capital within the next three months. The court observed that filling up the vacancies of councillors could not be postponed anymore.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath, asked the Delhi government to comply with the constitutional mandate by conducting the by-polls within a time frame. The government was also directed to provide adequate manpower and funds to the State Election Commission within four weeks.
The court’s directions came on a public interest litigation filed by law student Sanjana Gahlot, which pointed to bad civic facilities in her village situated inside the municipal limits of Delhi.
While the Delhi government had earlier suggested that the municipal polls of 2017 be advanced to September-October 2016, when elections could be held for all municipal wards, the court said it would not be appropriate to keep the 13 wards vacant for such a long time.
The 13 wards, where there are no councillors at present, include seven in South Delhi Municipal Corporation, four in the North and two in the East.
