Bombay High Court Strongly Criticises SEC’s Last-Minute Poll Postponement

The Bombay High Court strongly deprecated the Maharashtra State Election Commission’s decision to postpone local body polls just 72 hours before voting, calling the delay improper, avoidable, and lacking administrative foresight.

However, noting the advanced stage of the process, the Court declined to quash the revised schedule. It directed that results for all local bodies be declared together on December 21 to avoid any bandwagon effect or unfair advantage.

The Court further instructed the SEC to frame clear guidelines within 10 weeks to prevent last-minute disruptions and to ensure a uniform, fair, and coherent electoral process in future.

[Vinod Chinchalkar v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.]