Late-Night Hearing: Rajasthan HC Grants Relief to 10 Councillors, Stays Arrest

September 21, 2026

Jaipur: In an unusual late-night proceeding ahead of Rajasthan’s civic body elections, the High Court held a special hearing from around 10 p.m. on Sunday until the wee hours of Monday, granting interim protection from arrest to nine councillors from Hanumangarh and one councillor from Bikaner.

The special hearing was convened after petitions were filed seeking urgent protection from arrest in cases registered against several councillors and candidates shortly before the civic body elections. The petitioners expressed apprehension that their arrest could prevent them from participating in the elections. Acting on the directions of Chief Justice Dr Sanjay Kumar Agrawal, special Benches were constituted on Sunday night to hear the petitions. The matters concerning the councillors were subsequently taken up by the special Benches late at night.

The court granted interim protection from arrest to the nine Hanumangarh councillors and one councillor from Bikaner, providing them relief ahead of the elections. In Hanumangarh, the matter was heard by a special Bench headed by Justice Nupur Bhati. The civic body has 60 seats, of which the BJP won 15. Around 32 councillors from the Independent MLA Ganesh Bansal camp have won the local elections. Bansal, meanwhile, was arrested in Bikaner in connection with a land case dating back 23 years. In Bikaner, a Bench headed by Justice Sunil Beniwal heard the petition and, at around 11.15 p.m., granted protection from arrest to Congress councillor Maqsood Ahmed.

Ahmed’s advocate, Dr Sachin Aacharya, told the court that police had summoned the councillor in connection with an old case. The petition alleged that the timing of the police action could prevent Ahmed from participating in the voting for the chairperson’s post scheduled for Monday. The developments come at a politically sensitive time, with elections for mayoral and chairperson posts scheduled in several Urban Local Bodies across Rajasthan. Elections for mayoral posts in the Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota municipal corporations are scheduled for September 25, while chairperson elections are also being held in several other municipal bodies.

The Court also ordered an interim stay on arrest of councillor Tejpal Mirdha in Nagaur and Sushil Meedha from Shrivijaynagar earlier on Sunday. The petitions have added a legal dimension to the political contest, with parties seeking to secure the support of councillors ahead of the indirect elections. The unusually late sitting of the High Court has drawn attention because of its timing, coming just days before the civic leadership elections and amid allegations by political parties that councillors are facing pressure in connection with cases registered against them.