The Jharkhand High Court issued contempt notices to Chief Secretary Alka Tiwary, IAS officer Vandana Dadel, and former Urban Development Secretary Vinay Choubey for failing to conduct civic body elections despite a clear order passed in January 2024. Justice Ananda Sen, while hearing a contempt petition filed by former councillor Roshni Khalko, said the Government’s inaction reflected a casual approach to constitutional responsibilities.
Court’s Warned Over Missed Deadlines
In January 2024, Justice Sen had directed the Government to hold municipal elections within three weeks. The order was later modified to allow four months’ time, yet no elections were held. The judge noted that repeated directions had been ignored, forcing the court to issue contempt notices. The court warned that it would frame charges against the officials if no compliance was shown by the next hearing on 14th October 2025.
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Petition Highlighted Governance Failure
Petitioner Roshni Khalko, through counsel Binod Singh, informed the court that the last civic elections were held in 2018 and the five-year term of representatives ended in 2023. Since then, municipal bodies have been functioning without elected representatives, leaving public grievances unaddressed and welfare schemes stalled. Singh argued that the state was duty-bound to notify elections but failed to act, depriving citizens of grassroots governance.
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Possible Implications for State Administration
Observers noted that the High Court’s strict stance could set a precedent for holding state authorities accountable in cases of prolonged delays in local governance. The absence of civic representatives in Jharkhand’s municipalities has already affected service delivery and implementation of urban welfare projects. With contempt proceedings now underway, the Government faces pressure to issue a notification and conduct elections before the court takes punitive action.
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