AP High Court Questions State on Local Body Polls Amid Electoral Roll Revision

Court Questions Timing of Local Body Polls

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday questioned the state government on how local body elections could be held while the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was underway, as reported by both Deccan Chronicle and The New Indian Express. The court was hearing a petition filed by YSRCP general secretary Lella Appireddy, who sought directions to conduct the elections only after the completion of the SIR and publication of final rolls.

Justice V. Sujatha, presiding over a single-judge bench, observed that voters whose names were deleted during the SIR would have an opportunity to appeal, potentially changing the final rolls, as reported by The New Indian Express. The court further noted that holding elections with the existing rolls could deprive people of their voting rights, a point also reported by Deccan Chronicle. The court observed that conducting elections after the SIR completion would allow those missing from the rolls to seek inclusion, while holding them earlier could result in voters losing their right to vote.

Petitioner's Arguments

Senior counsel Subramanya Sriram, representing Appireddy, told the court that the Election Commission of India was expected to complete the SIR by October 3, as reported by The New Indian Express. He sought elections based on the final rolls or on rolls incorporating changes until nominations closed. The court, in both reports, was noted to have said the concerns raised by the YSRCP were justified, according to The New Indian Express.

Government and SEC Responses

Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas argued that roll revision was continuous and did not prevent elections, as reported by The New Indian Express. Counsel for the State Election Commission, Kanaparthi Ajay, said accepting the petitioner's demand could delay elections by five to six months.

Next Steps

Justice Sujatha directed the registry to place the petition before a bench headed by Chief Justice Lisa Gill, subject to the Chief Justice's approval, as reported by both outlets. The division bench headed by the Chief Justice was already hearing local body election cases, according to The New Indian Express.