National desk
16 October
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has clarified that the tenure of a democratically elected Gram Panchayat is strictly five years. This period starts from the Panchayat’s first meeting, regardless of by-elections or administrative processes. The court made this ruling while dismissing a petition from a woman sarpanch, who was elected in a 2023 by-election. The sarpanch had requested that the Panchayat’s tenure be extended to align with her own term.
Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Sudeepti Sharma referred to Article 243-E of the Indian Constitution and Sections 14 and 15 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, to explain that the Panchayat’s term, along with its elected members, is limited to five years. This period begins with the Panchayat’s first official meeting, not from the time of individual elections or by-elections. The court emphasized that this rule applies to all Panchayats in Haryana, and there is no provision for extending the five-year tenure beyond this limit.