Local body elections: Telangana High Court directs Panchayat Raj Department to respond

Several posts vacant for years, says petitioner; hearing adjourned to March 5

Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara, on Thursday directed the Panchayat Raj Department to respond within three weeks in the matter pertaining to conducting elections for local bodies, including zilla parishads, mandal parishads, and gram panchayats across Telangana.

The bench was dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) case which challenged the inaction of the Panchayat Raj Department in conducting elections for local bodies.

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The petitioner highlighted that several posts remain vacant, including 220 Sarpanches, 94 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), four Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), 5,364 ward members, and 344 Deputy Sarpanches. The vacancies were unfilled for years, the petitioner complained.

Taking note of the issue, the bench directed the authorities to submit their response within three weeks while adjourning the matter to March 5 for further hearing.