Himachal: Supreme Court orders Panchayat elections to be held before May 31

February 13, 2026

The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Himachal Pradesh government and the State Election Commission to conduct Panchayat and Municipal elections before May 31st. To do this, the government must release the reservation roster by March 31st. The SC issued this order while hearing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government.

Earlier, the Himachal High Court had ordered the Panchayat and Municipal elections to be held before April 30, 2026, and had ordered the release of the reservation roster by February 28th. The government appealed to the Supreme Court against this High Court decision. The government cited snowfall and the disaster in court. The court accepted this and granted an additional month.

The government cited the disaster in the Supreme Court.
In the petition filed with the Supreme Court, the Himachal Pradesh government stated that the state has recently suffered damage due to heavy rains and the disaster. Restoration work is still underway in many areas.

The government stated that the Disaster Management Act is in effect in the state, making it impossible to hold elections at this time. The government has also argued that the Disaster Management Act is a law enacted by Parliament, while the Panchayati Raj Act is a law enacted by the State Legislature.

In such a situation, Parliament’s law takes precedence. The state government argues that the timeframe set by the High Court for holding elections is insufficient. More time is needed to complete the election process. The government also argues that the High Court did not fully consider all these aspects. The final decision on this matter will only be clear after the Supreme Court hearing.