On Friday, the Rajasthan High Court heard a series of petitions that brought to the forefront serious concerns about stalled grassroots democracy in the state. The courtroom was presented with claims that thousands of panchayats and urban local bodies were functioning without elected representatives, raising questions about the legality of the state’s ongoing reorganisation and delimitation exercise, as well as the controversial appointment of outgoing sarpanches and pradhans as administrators.
The matter arose from a series of petitions challenging the state’s exercise of reorganisation and delimitation of panchayats, as well as the removal of pradhans and sarpanches who were subsequently appointed as administrators. These petitions were filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha and 438 other individuals who argued that the state’s actions had resulted in prolonged delays in holding rural and urban local body elections, affecting democratic functioning across Rajasthan.
The petitioners argued that the postponement of local body elections violated constitutional mandates under Articles 243(E) and 243(K) of the Constitution of India, which ensure timely elections to panchayats and safeguard the independence of the electoral process. They further submitted that the delay was contrary to Section 17 of the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994. According to counsel, the postponement had disrupted democratic governance in more than 6,700 panchayats, and appointing outgoing sarpanches as administrators was contrary to law. The state, meanwhile, was unable to provide a clear timeline for completing the electoral process, prompting the Court to step in and set definitive deadlines.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice S. P. Sharma and Justice Sanjit Purohit observed that the delimitation exercise already undertaken by the government could not be reopened for further challenge. The Court noted that earlier proposed timelines for the elections overlapped with upcoming board examinations, necessitating revisions but not justifying continued delay. The Bench emphasised that once delimitation has been carried out, it cannot be subjected to repetitive litigation that hampers the electoral process.
In its judgment, the Court dismissed all the petitions challenging the reorganisation and delimitation of panchayats as well as the pleas questioning the appointment of outgoing sarpanches as administrators. The Court directed the state government to complete the ongoing delimitation exercise by December 31 and to conduct both panchayat and municipal elections together, ensuring that the entire process is concluded by April 15, 2026. With this order, Rajasthan is now obligated to hold elections across more than 11,000 gram panchayats and 309 urban local bodies within the stipulated timeframe.
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