The fate of civic polls in Bengaluru will likely be decided on May 20, as the Supreme Court is all set to hear a batch of Interlocutory Applications (IAs) filed by the State and Karnataka State Election Commission (KSEC), seeking an extension of deadline to hold polls in the city till September 30.

The Supreme Court in its order on January 12 set a deadline of June 30 to hold the much delayed civic polls and posted the case for July 20. The polls have been due since September, 2020.

However, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the State government have sought three more months’ time to hold the polls citing paucity of human resources to hold elections, as the timeline clashes with National Census and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State.

The State government and the KSEC, which said they have taken proactive steps to hold the polls within the June 30 deadline, but finds the State’s appeal to extend the deadline “bona fide”, have filed separate the IAs seeking extension of the deadline.

Sanchit Garga, advocate for the State, wrote to The Registrar, Supreme Court of India on May 13, requesting for “urgent listing” of the IA filed by the State. “Since the judicial mandated deadline to conclude the elections expires on June 30, waiting until the scheduled hearing date of July 20 would render the State in non-compliance of this Hon’ble Court’s direction due to insurmountable logistical constraints,” he argued. 

The Daily Cause List of the Supreme Court of India for May 20, lists the two IAs as item number 31 for the day.