In a rude shock to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and its president chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday ordered the conduct of panchayat raj elections within three months.
The high court passed the orders pertaining to a petition filed by noted lawyer B Rachna Reddy against appointing the special officers to gram panchayats in place of sarpanches to administer the local bodies.
The term of the elected bodies in gram panchayats came to an end on July 31 this year and instead of conducting the elections, the KCR government preferred to appoint special officers in place of elected bodies to rule the panchayat raj institutions.
Terming the move is against the constitution, the court directed the government to hold the elections within three months.
The court also vexed with the government over non-conduct of panchayat elections and discrepancies in the voter list.
It also said that the appointed special officers for the gram panchayats will continue in the posts until the commencement of the elections.
