HC upholds Pangna Gram Panchayat pradhan’s disqualification under Panchayati Raj Act

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper Politics Explained Opinion India Business Premium Cities UPSC Entertainment Sports World Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingUPSC OfferIPL 2026US NewsPuzzles & GamesLegal NewsFresh TakeHealthResearch🎙️ Podcast Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsCitiesChandigarhHC upholds Pangna Gram Panchayat pradhan's disqualification under Panchayati Raj Act HC upholds Pangna Gram Panchayat pradhan’s disqualification under Panchayati Raj Act Karsog Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) on April 25, 2022, had declared Basant Lal's election 'null and void' after finding that he had deliberately concealed a pending criminal case in his nomination form By: Express News Service2 min readShimlaUpdated: Apr 19, 2026 10:11 AM IST Finding “no merit” in the plea, the bench dismissed the petition, along with all pending applications. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/SumitaRoyDutta) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT The Himachal Pradesh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the disqualification of a panchayat representative, asserting that “strict penalties for electoral malpractice are justified and necessary to maintain the integrity of the democratic process”. Hearing the matter on Friday, a Division Bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma upheld the order disqualifying petitioner Basant Lal from contesting elections for six years under Section 146(2) of the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. The court observed that “for corrupt practices in the election process, punishment should be harsher”, adding that “the statutory disqualification cannot be termed harsh or disproportionate”. Finding “no merit” in the plea, the bench dismissed the petition, along with all pending applications. The petitioner had approached the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution, seeking to quash the February 3, 2025, order of the Mandi Deputy Commissioner, and also challenging the constitutional validity of Section 146(2), terming it “arbitrary and violative of Articles 14 and 21”. Basant Lal was elected pradhan of Pangna Gram Panchayat in Mandi district during the 2020 Panchayati Raj elections, but his election was set aside following an election petition filed by a private respondent. The Karsog Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil), in an order dated April 25, 2022, had declared his election “null and void” after finding that he had deliberately concealed a pending criminal case in his nomination form filed on February 17, 2021. The undisclosed case, arising out of an FIR registered in 2017 and pending before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Karsog, involved offences punishable with up to two years’ imprisonment. The authority held that such concealment attracted disqualification under relevant provisions of the Act governing false declarations and criminal antecedents. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram