Agartala: The Supreme Court has directed the Tripura govt to hold elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) by April 15 and complete village committee (VC) elections by May 31.“The SC asked the state to ensure that the election process is completed before the onset of the monsoon season,” said advocate Bhaskar Debbarma, representing the ADC. The directions came in an interim order by a bench of Justice Manoj Mishra and Justice Manmohan while hearing a writ petition filed by the ruling Tipra Motha in the ADC on Thursday.Debbarma said the State Election Commission (SEC) had sought more time, submitting an affidavit requesting an extension until Sept to conduct the polls, citing security concerns.The court rejected the request and directed the SEC to conduct the elections within the deadlines of April 15 and May 31. The SEC was also directed to file an affidavit setting out the election schedule within the timeframe fixed by the court, and then file a final affidavit confirming compliance by March 15.On Feb 11, the Supreme Court had asked the SEC to provide a clear timeline for completing the village committee election process and to assess whether ADC and VC elections could be held simultaneously.The matter is listed for final hearing on March 18.
