Agartala, Feb 27 (UNI) The Supreme Court has directed the state government to hold elections to Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) before April 15, and Village Committee (VC) elections be completed by May, ahead of the monsoon season, Advocate Bhaskar Debbarma representing ADC, said here on Friday.
The interim order was passed by a Bench comprising Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Manmohan while hearing a Writ Petition filed by the ruling TIPRA Motha in ADC.
According to Debbarma, during the hearing, State Election Commission (SEC) had submitted an affidavit seeking an extension until September to conduct the polls, citing security concerns. The Court, however, declined to accept it.
It directed SEC to conduct the elections by April 15 and May 31, respectively, and asked to file an affidavit outlining the schedule for holding the polls within the timeframe indicated by the Court. Further, SEC has been instructed to submit a final affidavit by March 15, confirming compliance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court.
Earlier, on February 11, Supreme Court had directed SEC to clearly spell out the timeline for completing the Village Committee election process. The Court had also asked the Commission to examine the feasibility of holding ADC and VC elections simultaneously.
The Supreme Court has scheduled the case for final hearing on March 18.
