Himachal panchayat elections: CM's remarks amount to contempt of court, says state BJP chief

Shimla, Jan 11 (PTI) Welcoming the Himachal Pradesh High Court's decision directing the state government to conduct panchayat and urban local bodies elections, the state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal on Sunday said the ruling is in the larger interest of the people.

The decision strengthens democracy and aligns with the spirit of the Constitution, Bindal said in a statement issued here.

However, the comments made by the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on the high court's decision are unfortunate and amount to contempt of the court, the BJP leader added.

Rejecting the state government's plea to defer panchayat elections by six months, the Himachal High Court on January 9 had directed the government to conduct the elections to PRI and urban local bodies before April 30, 2026.

"It is no secret that the state election commission had completed all preparations to hold Panchayati Raj elections during December-January," Bindal claimed, adding that every possible attempt was made by the Congress government to delay the elections.

Sharply reacting to the court orders, the chief minister on Friday had questioned under which law the orders had been issued when the Disaster Act is enforced in the state.

"Whether the Disaster Act has become in fructuous and has no meaning", we will ask the Court, Sukhu added.

The Congress leader had said that many decisions of the High Court are arbitrary and have no legal interpretation. The question now is not the panchayat elections but the legal interpretation of the Disaster Act enacted by the Central government and whether the Act has any relevance.

Bindal said that the language and choice of words used by the chief minister were tantamount to contempt of the high court.

Such remarks not only show disregard for constitutional institutions but also strike at the very foundations of democratic values, he said.

The High Court delivered a clear, firm, and decisive verdict in favour of the people, democracy, and the Constitution, he said.

Referring to Sukhu's comment, Bindal said that making unwarranted comments on the court's verdict is not in the interest of the state. Such statements amount to an attempt to interfere with the functioning of the judiciary, which the BJP will never accept. PTI BPL SHS SHS