Agartala: May 17: Social activist and advocate Antony Debbarma, who had earlier successfully petitioned the Tripura High Court seeking timely conduct of the Village Committee (VC) elections in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), has once again approached the court, alleging contempt of court by the state government and the State Election Commission for the second time as despite court order the election is still pending.
The VC elections, originally due in 2021, were to be conducted by the end 2024 in accordance to affidavit submitted in the court by the state government and state election commission following Debbarma’s Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 2022.
Despite the High Court’s clear directive after the first contempt and submission of affidavits by the election commission, the polls till date remain pending.
Debbarma, who is also the spokesperson of the ruling BJP alliance Tipra Motha party, criticized the state government for what he termed as “deliberate neglect” of the constitutional rights of the indigenous communities.
He pointed out that while elections to the Panchayats, Municipal bodies, Assembly, and Parliament have been held on schedule, the TTAADC’s VC elections have been stalled for over five years, revealing what he called “systematic discrimination”.
“This is a clear violation of Articles 243A and 243B of the Constitution, which mandate timely and regular conduct of local body elections. Despite the High Court’s ruling, the government and the election commission have chosen to ignore it,” Debbarma said.
He added that his second contempt petition has already been filed and court proceedings are expected to begin soon.
According to him, the delay reflects the government’s disregard for constitutional mandates and the development rights of indigenous people, despite slogans like ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.
“If the government truly believed in nationalism and inclusive development, it wouldn’t have allowed this injustice to continue for five years. The facts speak for themselves,” Debbarma remarked.
The issue is drawing increasing attention from tribal rights groups and BJP alliance partner Tipra Motha, which has consistently voiced concern over delays in democratic processes within the TTAADC. As the matter now involves a second consecutive contempt petition, all eyes are on the Tripura High Court’s next move, which could set a significant precedent regarding constitutional accountability and electoral justice for tribal governance in the state.
