The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the ongoing panchayat elections in Punjab.
Noting that staying the conduct of elections was a grave thing, the Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra observed that halting the process now would lead to a complete chaos since the poll process had already begun.
The counsel appearing for the petitioners contended that this was an usual case.
However, the Bench noted that this was an unusual democracy which valued the election process. The remedy would lie in an election petition before the High Court, it added.
Tomorrow someone may want to stay parliamentary elections like this, it observed.
The Apex Court agreed to list the matter, however, it refuses to grant any interim stay.
The petition challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court order of October 14, which dismissed around 800 petitions alleging irregularities in the panchayat elections.