Supreme Court declines plea challenging Manipur HC order extending panchayat poll deadline

Guwahati: The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea challenging the Manipur High Court order extending the deadline for conducting panchayat elections in the State to October 16 this year.

The appeal filed by Pheiroijam Heramani and others against the May 19, 2026, judgement of the High Court, a partial working day bench comprising Justices N Kotiswar Singh and NV Anjaria on Thursday dismissed the appeal.

The bench accepted the submission made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur Government, that the State is bound by the directions of the High Court and may be committing contempt if the polls of local bodies are not conducted.


The High Court had extended the deadline for conducting the sixth general panchayat elections to October 16. The High Court bench comprising Chief Justice M Sundar and Justice A Guneshwar Sharma also cleared the path for the State to adopt a three-tier Panchayati Raj system in accordance with the recent legislative amendments.

State government had moved the High Court against the previous August 2025 order that had stated elections would be held within six months. The state government has reasoned that the ongoing law and order scene and the imposition of the President’s Rule in the State (effective from February 2025) made holding immediate elections impracticable.

The High Court modified its previous direction, allowing the State and the State Election Commission an extension until October 16, 2026, to complete the electoral process.

The State Election Commission had earlier finalized the comprehensive electoral schedule to restore the Panchayati Raj system.

The public notification will be issued on August 21, 2026. The last date for nominations is August 28, 2026. Scrutiny of papers will be conducted on August 29, 2026.

The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is September 1, 2026. The official polling date is October 1, 2026.

Re-polling, if required, will be held on October 5, 2026. Vote counting will take place on October 8, 2026.

The elections have been delayed since the previous term expired in 2022. The 6th general election was originally scheduled for June 2023 but was delayed due to the law-and-order situation in the state.

More than 260 people were killed, over 1,500 injured, and more than 60,000 displaced after ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities on May 3, 2023. The violence erupted after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Manipur has been under President rule since February 13, 2025, which was revoked in February this year. Manipur is witnessing frequent violent incidents engulfing both the hill and valley.