SC to consider submission for urgent hearing of plea on Bengaluru civic body polls
India Today
Senior advocate Meenakshi representing the candidates of the Bengaluru civic polls said that elections haven’t taken place despite the tenure of the civic body ending in September 2020. The poll process has been stayed by a Supreme Court order.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would look into submissions for an urgent hearing of the plea related to conducting polls for the 'Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike' (BBMP), whose term ended on September 10, 2020.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana was told by senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for some of the candidates for the civic body polls, that elections had not taken place despite the fact that the tenure of the civic body ended in September 2020.
The senior lawyer said the poll process had been stayed by an order of the apex court.
"There are enough elections happening in the country," the bench, also comprising justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli, said.
When Arora said the issue pertained to the civic poll of a body whose tenure has ended, the bench said, "You have mentioned. Leave it to us. We will see."
Earlier, the Karnataka government had sought an urgent hearing of its pending plea against a high court verdict asking the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold elections in 198 wards of the BBMP.
The bench was told that the five-year term of the civic body expired in 2020, and there was an urgency as the poll process had been stayed by a bench headed by the then CJI S A Bobde (since retired).
