Kolkata, New Delhi, INDIA. New York, USA.
Business To Business, Lucknow, 10th July, 2026: The Allahabad High Court has raised important constitutional questions over the appointment of elected village heads as administrators after the expiry of the tenure of gram panchayats in Uttar Pradesh.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Sanjay Kumar Sharma, the Lucknow Bench observed on Wednesday that the constitutional validity of Section 12(3A) of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act requires judicial examination.
The court directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayati Raj Department, to appear before it through video conferencing on July 10 to explain the state government's position on the issue.
The matter concerns the legality of allowing elected village heads to continue functioning as administrators after the elected gram panchayat's term has ended, with the court indicating that the provision may warrant scrutiny in light of constitutional principles governing local self-government.