Shimla: The Supreme Court on Monday put a stay on an interim order of the Himachal Pradesh high court that had barred MLAs from voting in elections of president and vice-president of municipalities.
With the apex court's intervention, MLAs will now be eligible to cast their votes in elections of president and vice-president of municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state. Earlier, the high court had on June 4 held that only elected councillors had the right to vote in urban local bodies' elections for appointment of their heads and deputy heads, and not the ex-officio members (MLAs).
Himachal Pradesh advocate general Anup Rattan said the Supreme Court has upheld the correct interpretation of the law which was argued by the state govt before the high court. He pointed out that Section 10(3) of the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Act, 1994, grants MLAs voting rights as ex-officio members and does not restrict these rights to any specific meeting of the municipalities.
The Supreme Court observed a final determination of the main petition cannot be made while passing an interim order, he added. The apex court also noted that MLAs are elected representatives and their voting rights extend to leadership elections in urban local bodies. The advocate general said that the apex court's decision will apply to upcoming elections from now onwards, while challenges to recently concluded polls must be pursued through election petitions. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chandigarh | Silver Rate in Chandigarh | Bank Holidays in Chandigarh | Public Holidays in Chandigarh | Chandigarh AQI | Weather in Chandigarh | Petrol Price in Chandigarh | Diesel Price in Chandigarh | CNG Price in Chandigarh | LPG Price in Chandigarh
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