Overview
- The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi modified the High Court schedule by moving the cut-off for preparatory steps to March 31, with reservation rosters to be finalized by then.
- Elections must be conducted within eight weeks after the preparatory deadline, setting an outer limit of May 31, 2026.
- The court affirmed that timely local elections are a constitutional mandate and ruled that pending delimitation cannot justify postponement.
- The order warns that no further applications for time extension will be entertained and factors in accessibility challenges and pre-monsoon timing.
- The directive covers thousands of bodies across Himachal Pradesh, including 3,577 gram panchayats, 90 panchayat samitis, 11 zila parishads and 71 urban local bodies.