You have time for everything else but civic polls, irked SC tells Tamil Nadu

“The government can do anything which it wants to do. But whenever the issue of local bodies elections come up, they say, no,” a bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana observed. 

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the poll panel, said the entire workforce was busy with the Assembly polls in February and March, and then COVID hit the work related to the local bodies elections. 

The bench, also comprising justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, sought the response of petitioner S Shankar, who had initially filed the PIL seeking holding of local body polls within two days of the plea of the State poll panel. 

In its order, the bench noted that the apex court’s order dated June 22 had granted extension till September 15 to complete the entire process and also the September 13 notification of the TNSEC that said that no order was required to be passed as elections were under way. 

The court directed the petitioner to file an affidavit within two days from Monday when the matter would be taken up for further hearing.