SC refuses to stay ongoing polling for Punjab panchayat elections

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to halt the ongoing panchayat elections in Punjab, stating that it would create "chaos" if courts were to stay elections on the day of polling.
The panchayat election polling in the state began at 8 am on Tuesday, and petitions seeking a stay were presented before a bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
"If polling has started today, how can we intervene at this stage? Probably the high court realised the gravity of it and vacated the stay on the elections," said the bench, which also included Justices J.B.Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
"There will be chaos if we stay the polling that too on the polling day," the CJI remarked.
The Supreme Court, however, agreed to hear the petitions challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision to permit the panchayat polls in Punjab.
In a significant move, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had recently dismissed around 1,000 petitions that sought the cancellation of the panchayat elections.
Previously, the high court had put a stay on the poll process.