The Congress leaders are upset over the order of a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, which refused to grant the request of the State Government for a stay of the verdict of a single bench quashing the government notification forming as many as 69 new gram panchayats. The court had also set aside the government order delinking some wards from the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Corporations to form new municipalities.

In a shocking display of lack of respect for the judiciary, Congress leaders led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy have come down heavily on the judge accusing him of political motives while delivering the judgments. Minister K C Joseph, a close confidant of Chandy, was particularly harsh on the judge. It may be mentioned that Congress and other UDF leaders had criticized judges who gave adverse verdicts against the government in the palmolein and bar bribery scam cases in the past. Their reprehensible response to the judgment exposes their so-called commitment to respect for the judiciary for what it is: a humongous sham.

The reasons for the anger of IUML and Congress leaders are not far to seek. The HC verdict, if implemented, would thwart the pursuance of the political agenda of the IUML in forming new gram panchayats in blatant violation of all rules. Hence their opposition to the conduct of the local bodies elections on the basis of the 2010 delimitation.

The Court also directed the State Government to extend all help to the election commission to conduct the elections so that the constitutional mandate to complete the elections before the tenure of the existing committees of the local bodies - in this case before November this year - is fulfilled.

As for the elections to 28 new municipalities, the formation of which has been upheld by the single judge, the division bench has ordered that the State Election Commission “is free to take appropriate decision”.

Instead of complying with the court directive, the State Government is insisting on the conduct of polls in 28 new municipalities. The Election Commission has expressed its inability to do so on technical grounds. The firm stand taken by the Commission provoked the UDF leaders, according to leader of the opposition, V S Achuthanandan to threaten even constitutional bodies. VS has alleged that Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty tried to intimidate the State Election Commission, K. Sashidharan Nair, after summoning him to the CM’s office. The Minister has since denied the charge. But the episode has left a trail of bitterness.

The thrust of the opposition argument is that the government is trying to delay the elections by refusing to abide by the court order so that the agenda of UDF constituents like the IUML was served. It is another instance of the Congress abjectly yielding to the pressure tactics of the IUML, they contended.

What is shocking is that the Congress leaders are speaking with a forked tongue on the issue. On the one hand, they are saying that the party wants elections to be conducted on time. But it is doing everything to ensure postponement of the polls.

The fact is that the Government itself is to blame for the predicament it is in. The State Election Commission, which observed admirable restraint in the face of unfair criticism by the UDF leaders, is getting ready to release the communications with the government since 2012 on delimitation of local governments. The Commission had written as many as 26 letters to remind the government of the need for expediting the official procedures regarding local bodies elections. But there was no response from the government. If the government had initiated action, its present plight could have been avoided. That demolishes the government criticism that the state election commission was trying to disrupt the elections. IUML general secretary KPA Majid even went to the extent of accusing the Election commissioner of being a former member of the CPI()M).

The ball is now in the court of the Kerala High Court, with both the government and the State election commission deciding to wait for it to pass the orders on September 3.

Whatever the denouement, the court verdicts constitute a huge setback to the UDF Government. The UDF’s crude and illegal attempts to boost its poll prospects by carving up the local bodies in flagrant violation of rules, have received a stinging legal rebuff. (IPA Service)