Nagaland: Supreme Court to hear crucial Urban Local Body polls issue today

The apex court on April 5, 2023 had stayed the March 30 order of the State Election Commission (SEC) to cancel the ULB polls in Nagaland

The Supreme Court will today hear the crucial Urban Local Body polls in Nagaland issue. The SC Bench comprising of Justices S K Kaul and Aravind Kumar would be hearing the response of the Centre to whether the repeal of Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 by the state government would violate the Constitutional provision of 33 percent reservation for women in the Urban Local Bodies elections.

Earlier during a hearing on the issue on April 17, the Bench said that the matter related to women empowerment and that an “ingenious method” has been adopted to evade the undertaking given to the Apex Court about holding the elections by repealing the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001.

The apex court on April 5, 2023 had stayed the March 30 order of the State Election Commission (SEC) to cancel the ULB polls in Nagaland in view of the repeal of the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 by the State Assembly.

It is to be mentioned here that following pressure from tribal groups and civil society groups against the conduct of the ULB polls, the Nagaland assembly had passed a resolution on March 29 to repeal the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, resolving not to hold the elections.

Earlier on March 9, the Nagaland Election Commission had issued a notification for the conduct of the ULB polls and cancelled it later on March 30. Later on March 30, the State Election Commission (SEC) had issued a notification cancelling the election programme notified earlier “till further orders” in view of the repeal of the Nagaland Municipal Act.

Following this, Nagaland’s most prominent women group, the Naga Mothers Association vehemently opposed the decision of the State Assembly to repeal the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001. The NMA objected to the fact that the government had taken the decision without any consultation with the civil society or in consultation with the women in the state.

Speaking to Northeast Live, NMA Adviser Rosemary Dzuvichu had said that the government has made a mistake by not consulting the women society.

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