Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Monday adjourned for six weeks the hearing on a petition seeking directions to hold gram pradhan elections in Uttar Pradesh after the state informed the court that a similar matter is pending before the Lucknow bench of the HC.The order was passed by Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery while hearing a petition filed by Arbind Rathor. The petitioner has challenged the state govt order, dated May 25 and May 26, allowing gram pradhans to continue as “administrators” until fresh elections.The petitioner has also sought a writ of mandamus directing the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission to place on record a detailed, time-bound schedule for completing the three-tier panchayat elections in compliance with Articles 243E and 243K of the Constitution.Article 243E provides that the term of a panchayat is fixed at five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and cannot be extended beyond that period.When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, the state counsel informed the court that the same issue is being heard by the HC’s Lucknow bench. Taking note of the submission, Justice Shamshery directed that the matter be listed again after six weeks.In an order passed on June 25, the single-judge bench had observed that gram pradhans in Uttar Pradesh could not be permitted to continue as administrators indefinitely.The state govt submitted that it has constituted an OBC Commission to determine reservation for the Other Backward Classes category for the panchayat elections. It argued that elections for gram pradhans and gram panchayat members cannot be conducted until the reservation exercise is completed, as the reservation policy forms an integral part of the electoral process. The state counsel informed the court that the commission has not yet submitted its report.The Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission, however, informed the court that the electoral rolls had already been published on June 10, 2026, and that it was prepared to conduct the elections. It stated that the elections could be held once the state govt provides the necessary logistics, but the pending reservation exercise has delayed the process.
