Apex Court seeks replies on delayed VC Polls in Tripura
Agartala Aug 25: The Apex Court has stepped in on the long-pending issue of Village Committee (VC) polls in Tripura’s tribal areas, issuing notices to the Election Commission of India and the Tripura State Election Commission.
The move comes after nearly four years of delay, during which grassroots governance under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) has remained defunct, sparking political tensions and demands for immediate polls.
The Supreme Court issued notice on a plea seeking urgent directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) today for the immediate conduct of long-overdue Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Act, 1994.
Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea For Conducting Elections To Village Committees In Tripura Tribal Areas |@AmishaShriv https://t.co/FohRXv1O9m
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) August 25, 2025
A Bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice NV Anjaria took cognizance of the petition and sought responses from the constitutional bodies responsible for elections. The matter assumes significance as nearly 587 Village Committees, functioning as the grassroots governance units in tribal areas under the TTAADC, have remained defunct for over four years.
The term of these Village Committees—considered analogous to gram panchayats in rural areas—had expired in March 2021. Since then, no elections have been conducted, leaving a major vacuum in local self-governance within the Sixth Schedule areas of the state.
Earlier, in July 2022, the Tripura High Court had directed the SEC and the state government to conduct the overdue elections by November 2022. However, the directive was not implemented, with successive state governments citing logistical issues, the pandemic, and law-and-order considerations.
The petitioner before the Supreme Court has argued that the prolonged delay amounts to a denial of the constitutional rights of tribal communities to democratically elected local bodies.
The issue has been a matter of intense political debate in Tripura. Regional party TIPRA Motha, which governs the TTAADC, has repeatedly demanded that the elections be held without further delay, accusing the state of deliberately weakening grassroots democracy in tribal areas.
Party supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma had earlier warned that the delay was obstructing development and implementation of welfare schemes, and vowed to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court—a promise now fulfilled through the present litigation.
Village Committees are the lowest tier of self-government in Tripura’s tribal areas, exercising authority over land use, rural development, water management, and community welfare. Their absence has left administrative gaps, forcing the TTAADC administration to rely on interim arrangements, which critics say undermines participatory democracy.
The Supreme Court’s notice marks the first step toward judicial scrutiny of the delay. Both the ECI and the Tripura SEC will now be required to file their responses, explaining the reasons for the prolonged non-conduct of elections and indicating whether a fresh poll schedule can be finalised.
If the Court issues firm directions, the overdue polls could be held within a fixed timeframe, restoring democratic functioning at the grassroots level in Tripura’s tribal belt. (Source: Tripuranet.com)
