A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi provided what it called a ‘one-time concession’, reprimanding the state and the SEC that ‘no further extension shall be granted’. The court also added that if the SEC requires any other logistical support, it should approach the court before October 31, 2025, indicating that no such request will be entertained thereafter.
The highest court directed the ongoing delimitation process to be finalized by October 31, 2025, and explicitly stated that it cannot be utilized as a reason for postponing elections.
The bench was shocked that its May 2025 order, directing the SEC to issue notices within four weeks and hold elections within four months, was not obeyed.
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For the sake of releasing staff in time, the court instructed the SEC to furnish information about staff needed to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra within two weeks.
The Chief Secretary will, after consulting concerned departments, release the staff within four weeks. The officers to be deployed also need to be informed of the SEC at the same time.
The issue of electronic voting machines (EVMs) was directed to be dealt with by the court by requesting the SEC to make provisions in this regard and file a compliance affidavit on EVM availability by November 30, 2025.
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A few pending petitions in the Bombay High Court on matters such as delimitation and ward reservations were also noted by the Supreme Court. It allowed the state and SEC to request these petitions to be heard collectively before a single bench.
Maharashtra’s local body elections have been postponed since 2022 because of controversies over Other Backward Class (OBC) reservations, which have caused long-drawn legal cases.
