HC sets 1-month deadline for govt to issue final notification on zilla, taluk panchayat elections
Bengaluru, Nov 9: The High Court of Karnataka has set a final deadline of one month to complete the delimitation and reservation process for the elections to the zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats in the state.
On June 28, 2023, the HC had granted the new state government (that had come to power after assembly polls in May this year) 10 weeks to redo the delimitation exercise.
On Thursday, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the state government, submitted that the delimitation and reservation process for the panchayat elections is underway.
The HC said it was providing the state government with a final one-month window to issue the final notification on the election.
The bench emphasised the importance of conducting the elections promptly, given the constitutional obligation. The Supreme Court had previously cautioned the state government twice on the matter of not conducting elections to local bodies with a statutory mandate.
A public interest litigation filed by the State Election Commission (SEC) was heard by a division bench led by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit. The bench has scheduled the next hearing for December 19.
The SEC had prepared for the ZP-TP polls in Karnataka in April and May of 2021. It had completed the delimitation exercise on constituencies and the final list of voters was also published. The reservation draft was also announced by the SEC.
However, before the SEC could announce the election schedule, the then State Government amended the Karnataka Panchayat Raj and Gram Swaraj Act, withdrawing the powers of the Commission to redraw the constituencies and prepare the reservation list. A new delimitation panel was created by the State to conduct the exercise.
The SEC has challenged the amendment to the Act before the HC.
The state government has repeatedly sought time to complete the exercise and the election has been pending ever since. The HC had in December 2022 even imposed a cost of Rs five lakh on the government for its delaying tactics.
The court's decision to grant a one-month grace period to the state government for the completion of the delimitation and reservation process reflects its understanding of the practical challenges involved, the HC said.
The bench conveyed its expectation that the government would make every effort to expedite the process and facilitate the conduct of elections without further delay.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
