Northeast Desk, 4th May: The Nagaland government has informed the Supreme Court of its intent to conduct elections for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in June, with a mandatory 33% reservation for women. This declaration was made during a hearing in the apex court, where a contempt case filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) was adjourned to July 16th.
The state’s commitment follows a stern warning from the Supreme Court regarding non-compliance with its earlier order mandating reservation of seats for women in local body elections. The court had issued a contempt notice to the state government, cautioning that it would pursue the matter to its “logical conclusion” if elections were not conducted in line with the constitutional mandate.
A two-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices S.K. Kaul and Aravind Kumar, not only directed the Nagaland government to adhere to the reservation policy but also urged the Union government to intervene and advise the state accordingly.
This development comes after the Nagaland Assembly unanimously passed a bill in November last year, reserving 33% of seats in urban local bodies for women. Initially, the state government had assured the Supreme Court that the election process would be completed by April 30, 2024.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court took note of an affidavit filed by the Nagaland chief secretary affirming the passage of the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023, by the state assembly on November 9, 2023. The court directed the framing of rules within a month, before January 8, 2024, and mandated the completion of the election process by April 30, 2024.