{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Court Holds Rare Holiday Hearings Till Late Night Amid Rajasthan Civic Polls, Shields Multiple Councillors and Candidates from Arrest",
  "summary": "During municipal election proceedings in Rajasthan, the High Court conducted special holiday hearings extending up to 10 PM to address urgent arrest petitions. Different single benches granted interim protection and procedural safeguards to multiple candidates and newly elected councillors across towns including Kuchera, Bikaner, Shri Vijaynagar, and Hanumangarh.",
  "content": "A high-stakes legal and political faceoff unfolded in the Rajasthan High Court as special benches assembled on a gazetted holiday to conduct emergency hearings stretching until 10 PM. Marking a rare historic instance for the state's highest judicial forum, multiple single benches took up urgent petitions filed by candidates and newly elected municipal councillors who apprehended imminent police arrest ahead of crucial local body elections and board-formation votes. Across six separate legal proceedings, petitioners hailing from Kuchera, Bikaner, Shri Vijaynagar, and Hanumangarh secured vital interim protection and procedural safeguards against coercive state action.\n\n \n\nHoliday Benches Concur on Urgent Protective Pleas\n\nThe unusual holiday proceedings were set in motion during the afternoon hours following special permission granted by the Chief Justice. The first urgent matter to be taken up involved Tejpal Mirdha, an election candidate from Kuchera who sought immediate judicial intervention against anticipated detention. The single bench granted him urgent relief by staying his arrest, opening the door for five additional election-related petitions to be presented before different benches as the evening progressed.\n\nFrom late evening until 10 PM, various single benches deliberated on the pleas of councillors and civic chief contenders. The petitioners collectively argued that administrative and police machinery was being weaponised by political rivals to alter election dynamics and prevent them from voting in municipal board formations. Taking note of the pressing urgency, the judges granted absolute stays on arrest in several cases, while in another matter, strict directions were issued to the authorities barring any punitive action without strictly adhering to statutory due process.\n\n \n\nBikaner Councillor Maqsood Ahmed Granted Judicial Relief\n\nIn Bikaner, newly elected municipal councillor and former UIT chairman Maqsood Ahmed approached the court through an urgent plea after being summoned for police questioning on Monday morning, the designated day of polling. The summons related to a previously lodged case under the SC-ST Act, sparking fears that the police interrogation was a pretense designed to detain him and block his participation in the vote.\n\nSenior advocate Sachin Acharya appeared on behalf of Maqsood Ahmed, emphasizing that the timing of the police action appeared calculated to frustrate his franchise and civic mandate. Upon evaluating the circumstances, the court granted relief to Ahmed against coercive steps. The precise conditions governing his protection from arrest and subsequent legal procedure are to be regulated in accordance with the court's detailed formal order.\n\n \n\nShri Vijaynagar Civic Head Contender Protected Till October 7\n\nIn another critical ruling, Justice Sunil Beniwal heard an anticipatory petition filed by Sushil Middha alias Bittu Middha, a contender for the post of municipal chairman in Shri Vijaynagar. A criminal case had been registered against Middha under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC-ST Act on the very next day following the official notification of the elections.\n\nState counsel vigorously opposed the petition before the court, asserting that the allegations leveled against Middha were grave and disentitled him to discretionary relief. However, Justice Beniwal noted the suspicious timing of the FIR, which closely followed the election schedule. Recognizing the risk of mala fide incarceration during the electoral process, the court stayed the arrest of Sushil Middha until October 7, allowing him to participate unhindered in the ongoing civic proceedings.\n\n \n\nHanumangarh Councillor Manju Secures Notice to Administration\n\nCouncillor Manju from the Hanumangarh Municipal Council moved the High Court expressing acute distress that local political enmity would lead to administrative harassment aimed at preventing her from voting in the municipal chairperson election. Senior advocate Ravi Bhansali argued her petition before the single bench of Justice Kuldeep Mathur.\n\nAfter reviewing the submissions, Justice Mathur's bench directed law enforcement agencies and the administration not to take any punitive or coercive action against councillor Manju without following the prescribed statutory legal procedure. Furthermore, the court issued formal notices to the State Government, the police administration, and the District Election Officer, seeking their detailed responses within one week.\n\n \n\nNine More Hanumangarh Councillors Shielded from Custody\n\nThe Hanumangarh municipal contest witnessed another coordinated judicial petition when nine other newly elected councillors approached the High Court jointly. These councillors submitted that fabricated cases were being used as an instrument to arrest them right before the vote for the post of municipal chairperson.\n\nJustice Nupur Bhati presided over the hearing concerning the nine councillors. Recognizing the acute vulnerability of elected representatives during closely contested local body polls, Justice Bhati issued a formal stay order restraining the police from arresting any of the nine councillors. The decision provided critical legal sanctuary to the elected members, ensuring that the electoral arithmetic in the local council would not be compromised by custodial detention.\n\n \n\nEscalating Legal Battles in Local Board Formations\n\nThe unprecedented holiday sittings reflect the fierce rivalry unfolding across Rajasthan's urban local bodies as rival political groups scramble to secure the numbers needed to control municipal boards. Allegations concerning the misuse of state machinery and selective police action have driven dozens of representatives to seek judicial sanctuary. By keeping its benches functional until late into the night on a public holiday, the High Court demonstrated its readiness to safeguard democratic norms and protect elected representatives from arbitrary deprivation of liberty.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe High Court's extraordinary late-night holiday intervention ensures that elected local representatives can cast their votes in municipal board formations without fearing partisan police detention.\n\n• In Rajasthan: Arbitrary state and police action against newly elected civic representatives has faced a firm judicial check. Municipal board formations across contested towns will proceed based on actual electoral strength rather than custodial disqualification.\n• For Local Candidates: A crucial legal safeguard has been established against sudden criminal complaints registered right after election announcements. Candidates and councillors now have protective orders shielding them from arrests intended to skew crucial council voting sessions.\n• For Local Residents: The outcome protects voter franchise by preventing elected ward councillors from being forcibly sidelined from electing civic chairpersons. This ensures the municipal councils genuinely reflect the democratic choices made by local citizens.\n• Administrative Accountability: Clear judicial boundaries have been drawn for police forces and district election officials against coercive deviations from statutory procedure. With formal notices requiring replies within one week, administrative authorities face heightened judicial scrutiny.\n\nWhy this happened\nFierce political maneuvering to capture civic chairperson posts across multiple municipal bodies in Rajasthan triggered a series of sudden police actions and criminal complaints against key councillors, prompting urgent holiday legal challenges.\n\n• Suspicious Timing of Actions: Criminal cases and police summons were issued on critical dates, such as the day right after election notifications or the very morning of polling. This close temporal link convinced the court that these actions could serve to disrupt the voting process.\n• Critical Board Arithmetics: Local municipal board formations depend heavily on every single elected councillor's vote in tight contests. Apprehensions were high that police detentions could be leveraged to temporarily alter majority marks in council halls.\n• Special Judicial Sanction: Given the time-critical nature of the ongoing election schedule, the Chief Justice authorized emergency single-bench sittings on an official court holiday. This enabled six separate urgent petitions to be heard continuously from afternoon until 10 PM.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Why did the Rajasthan High Court hold hearings until 10 PM on a court holiday?\nSpecial benches were convened to handle urgent petitions filed by civic election candidates and councillors who feared imminent arrest aimed at preventing them from voting.\n\n2. How many cases were taken up during these emergency proceedings?\nA total of six urgent cases were heard across different single benches following special approval from the Chief Justice.\n\n3. What protection was granted to Kuchera candidate Tejpal Mirdha?\nThe court initiated holiday proceedings with his matter and ordered a stay on his arrest during the afternoon session.\n\n4. What ruling did the court issue regarding Shri Vijaynagar candidate Sushil Middha?\nJustice Sunil Beniwal granted interim relief by staying Middha's arrest until October 7 after taking note of an FIR registered right after election declarations.\n\n5. Why did Bikaner councillor Maqsood Ahmed seek court intervention?\nHe had been summoned for police questioning under an SC-ST Act case on the morning of polling day itself, creating apprehension of bad-faith arrest.\n\n6. What directives were issued in the case of Hanumangarh councillor Manju?\nJustice Kuldeep Mathur prohibited punitive steps without statutory due process and issued notices to the state government, police, and election officials returnable within one week.\n\n7. What relief did the nine other Hanumangarh councillors receive?\nJustice Nupur Bhati's bench issued an interim stay order preventing the police from arresting any of the nine newly elected councillors during the civic election process.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/rajasthan/rajasthan-nikaya-chunava-ke-bicha-chhutti-para-dera-rata-taka-baithi-adalata-kai-parshadon-aura-pratyashiyon-ko-giraphtari-se-raha-35534",
  "category": "Rajasthan",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-21",
  "tags": [
    "Rajasthan High Court",
    "Civic Elections",
    "Jodhpur High Court",
    "Councillor Arrest Stay",
    "Hanumangarh Civic Polls",
    "Sushil Middha",
    "Maqsood Ahmed",
    "Tejpal Mirdha"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}