Hearing in High Court on Shimla Mayor Tenure Extension; Bill Receives Governor’s Approval
The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday again heard a petition challenging the extension of the tenure of the Mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation. During the hearing, the Advocate General informed the court that the bill proposing to extend the mayor’s tenure from two-and-a-half years to five years has been approved by the Governor and published in the official gazette. According to the new law, the tenure of mayors and deputy mayors in all municipal corporations across the state has been extended to five years.
After hearing the government’s submission, the bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chandra Negi directed that the matter be listed again after two weeks.
The petitioner argued that the law enacted by the state government cannot be applied retrospectively. The court asked the petitioners to present their arguments and supporting facts during the next hearing. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on March 23.
It is noteworthy that on October 25, 2025, the state government brought an ordinance extending the tenure of the Shimla mayor from two-and-a-half years to five years. Later, the state assembly passed a bill and sent it to the Governor for approval, but it was not cleared at that time. During the budget session that began in February 2026, the assembly again passed the bill and sent it for approval, which has now been granted.
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