Once Municipal Election Programme Is Issued, Article 243-ZG Bars Writ Against Voter-List Deletion: Rajasthan High Court

The petitioner challenged voter lists of 28.08.2026 and 31.08.2026 from which his name had been deleted for the Nagar Palika General Elections, 2026, seeking a revised list restoring his name and others (paras 1-2). He said his name was on the earlier list and had been removed without any basis or hearing, in breach of natural justice (para 3). The State Election Commission had already issued a detailed programme, with the process running from 27.08.2026 to 29.09.2026 (para 5).

The Court relied on N.P. Ponnuswami v. Returning Officer and Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner, which hold that once the election process is initiated by the election programme, courts cannot interfere with the election schedule (para 6). It quoted Ponnuswami that disputes arising out of elections should be postponed till after the elections are over, so that the proceedings are not unduly retarded or protracted, and that irregularities must be raised through an election petition rather than in court while the election is in progress (para 7). Mohinder Singh Gill reiterated the distinction between proceedings that interfere with an election and those that further it (para 8). Upon declaration of the election programme by the State Election Commission the process had been initiated, so the bar in Article 243-ZG of the Constitution came into operation automatically, and the grievance could not be adjudicated at that stage (paras 9-10).