Nainital (Uttarakhand) [India], June 23 : Secretary Panchayati Raj Chandresh Kumar reaffirmed the Uttarakhand government's commitment to resolving the stay on three-tier panchayat elections imposed by the Nainital High Court.
This follows an interim stay by the Nainital High Court on the election process due to the absence of the reservation rules.
Speaking to ANI, Kumar clarified that the government is fully committed to following the legal and constitutional procedures. He said, "The gazette notification of Reservation Rules 2025 is in progress at the Government Press Roorkee for printing. It will be issued soon and presented before the Hon'ble Court for further guidance."
The Secretary emphasised that the state government is complying with the High Court's order and will submit the notification to the court once it's ready, in the hope of lifting the stay on the elections. "In this connection, I have spoken to the Government Press, Roorkee, to make a copy of the gazette notification available to the state government, which can then be submitted to the High Court to lift the stay," Kumar explained.
Chandresh Kumar also assured that the Panchayati Raj system will continue to be operated in a manner that respects the dignity and instructions of the judiciary. He further highlighted that the government is working to ensure the elections are conducted in line with legal and constitutional requirements as soon as possible.
Earlier, the Chief Justice's Bench of the Nainital High Court had stayed the Panchayat elections in the state of Uttarakhand. Two days ago, the State Election Commission announced that it would conduct Panchayat elections in two phases.
The Uttarakhand High Court has stayed the notification of Panchayat elections in the state. Reservation-related matters from many places in the state were challenged in the High Court.
During the last hearing, the Chief Justice's Bench of the High Court had directed the state government to submit its reply in the matter. A detailed reply was submitted by the state government today on reservation and other matters. After hearing this, the High Court stayed the Panchayat elections.