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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, July 17, extended the deadline for conducting elections to the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) until December 31, granting relief to the Karnataka government in view of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The matter came up before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant after the Karnataka government sought additional time, stating that the revision of the voters’ list would not be completed until November. The government informed the court that it would not be possible to hold the civic elections by the earlier deadline of August 31 because of the electoral roll revision process.

Accepting the state’s request, the apex court directed the Karnataka government to ensure that the elections are completed on or before December 31. At the same time, the Bench made it clear that the government should not seek any further extension on any grounds once the revised deadline expires.

During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Karnataka government, submitted that the ongoing SIR exercise had made it practically impossible to conduct the elections within the previously stipulated timeframe. He also remarked that if the government were to seek another extension in the future, he would not appear on its behalf before the court.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the state government to complete the elections by August 31. However, considering the progress of the voter list revision, the court decided to extend the deadline by four months.

The order clears the way for the Election Commission and the state government to complete the revision of electoral rolls before initiating the election process for the newly constituted civic bodies under the Greater Bengaluru Authority framework.

The ruling is expected to provide administrative clarity while ensuring that the long-pending civic elections are conducted within the revised timeline, bringing elected representatives back to Bengaluru’s local governance system before the end of the year.