KOHIMA: The Supreme Court, on Wednesday (April 05), stayed an order cancelling the local body polls in Nagaland.
The Supreme Court has directed the Nagaland government and the state election commission to hold local body elections in Nagaland.
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Notice has been issued to both Nagaland government and state election commission, directing them to file their response within a week’s time.
The Nagaland government had earlier issued an order cancelling local body polls, which were to be held with a 33% quota for women in May.
It may be mentioned here that it has been almost two decades since Nagaland last held urban body elections.
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On Wednesday (April 05), a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice SK Kaul and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah observed that cancelling the elections amounts to contempt of court.
In March this year, the Nagaland government ceded to demands of tribal groups in the state to cancel the local body polls with reservation for women.
Tribal groups in Nagaland contended that reservation for women in politics is against Naga customary laws.
“Women’s political culture was never there in traditional Naga society,” they claimed in a letter to Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio.
The bone of contention is a constitutional amendment of 1993 that made it mandatory for 33% of the seats in a municipal body to be reserved for women.