The Supreme Court on July 2 upheld the extension of the deadline for conducting panchayat elections in Manipur, dismissing a plea that challenged the Manipur High Court order allowing the state to hold the polls by October 16, 2026.
A partial working day Bench comprising N. Kotiswar Singh and N. V. Anjaria found no merit in the appeal filed by Pheiroijam Heramani and others, and declined to interfere with the High Court’s decision dated May 19.
Appearing on behalf of the Manipur government, Tushar Mehta informed the court that the state was obligated to comply with the High Court’s directions and could face contempt proceedings if the panchayat elections were not conducted within the revised timeframe.
Accepting the submission, the apex court dismissed the appeal, thereby allowing the extended schedule for the elections to remain in effect.
The Manipur High Court had earlier revised its deadline for the sixth general panchayat elections after considering the prevailing law and order situation in the state and the imposition of President’s Rule since February 2025.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma had also cleared the way for implementing a three-tier Panchayati Raj system in accordance with recent legislative amendments.
The revised timeline followed a review petition filed by the Manipur government against the High Court’s August 2025 order directing that panchayat elections be completed within six months. The state contended that the existing circumstances made the conduct of immediate elections impracticable.
Taking these exceptional conditions into account, the High Court granted the Manipur government and the State Election Commission time until October 16, 2026, to complete the panchayat electoral process.
