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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday, July 2, 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.

A partial working day bench comprising Justices N Kotiswar Singh and N V Anjaria dismissed the appeal filed by Pheiroijam Heramani and others against the May 19, 2026 judgement of the high court.

The bench took note of the submissions of 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.

It said there was no merit in the appeal to interfere with the high court order.

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 recent legislative amendments.

The matter before the high court arose from review petitions filed by the Manipur government against a previous August 2025 order that had mandated elections within six months.

The state argued before the high court that the prevailing law and order situation and the imposition of President’s Rule in the state (effective February 2025) made holding immediate elections impracticable.

Taking note of these “extraordinary circumstances,” 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.