In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has given its approval for the declaration of results for the ongoing civic body elections in Maharashtra. The apex court has directed the State Election Commission to announce the outcomes immediately after the next phase of voting concludes on December 20.
Court Rejects Further Delays
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, endorsed an earlier order from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. The key clarification from the top court was that the announcement of results must not be postponed further simply because some petitions are still pending adjudication in the High Court.
This decision came during a hearing where senior advocate A M Singhvi, representing the petitioners, expressed concerns. He argued that with appeals pending over the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers, there was a genuine apprehension that the declaration of results could be pushed indefinitely. He pointed out that adjudicating these pleas would be a time-consuming process, requiring responses and hearings.
Background of the Poll Schedule
Elections for all municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra were originally scheduled for December 2. However, the electoral process saw a split. While voting was successfully conducted in 264 civic bodies on December 2, the State Election Commission had to postpone elections in 24 seats. This postponement was directly linked to the pending appeals concerning nomination papers.
Supreme Court's Rationale
The bench provided clear reasoning for its directive. The judges stated that there is nothing unusual about declaring results after the final phase of polling. This practice is commonly adopted to prevent a potential influence on voters in constituencies that go to polls later. If results from earlier phases are announced immediately, they could sway the voting behavior in areas yet to cast their ballots.
Therefore, the Supreme Court ordered the Maharashtra State Election Commission to proceed with the declaration of results for all civic bodies once the second phase of elections is completed. The court explicitly stated that the "pendency of the petitions in HC would not be an impediment for declaration of the results." This firm instruction removes a major potential hurdle and sets a clear deadline for the election commission.
The ruling ensures that the democratic process reaches its logical conclusion in a timely manner, providing clarity to candidates, political parties, and voters across the state. All eyes will now be on the State Election Commission as it prepares to count votes and declare the winners on December 20.
