The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the polling for the panchayat elections in Punjab that commenced today morning, saying to halt the conduct of elections is a “grave thing”.
Refusing to interfere with the ongoing election process, a bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said disrupting the elections after polling had commenced would lead to “chaos.”
Refusing to pass an interim order to put on hold the electoral process once it had commenced and stressing on the importance of judicial restraint in election-related matters, the Chief Justice Chandrachud said, “Polling has opened, suppose we stay now there will be complete chaos. Staying the conduct of elections is a grave thing. Tomorrow someone will want to stay parliamentary elections like this. We will list (the matter), but no interim stay.”
The apex court’s refusal to halt the election process, which was set into motion after Punjab and Haryana High Court vacated the interim stay, granted earlier by a vacation bench during Puja holidays, came in the course of a mentioning against the High Court judgment that was pronounced yesterday.
The High Court order allowing the electoral process to resume came on a petition by the Punjab government seeking to advance the date of hearing. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had on Monday lifted its stay against the conduct of the panchayat polls in the state. The appeal before the top court challenged the decision of the High Court which dismissed around 800 petitions alleging irregularities in the conduct of the panchayat elections.