CHENNAI: The fate of local body elections in Tamil Nadu still remains unclear as the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday highlighted the practical hindrances it faces in proceeding with the election process before the Madras high court Answering in the negative to the suggestion made by the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar that the commission try to complete the election process by August 31, senior counsel for the SEC said, without implementing the nine directions issued by the single judge, it was practically impossible to conduct the elections.The SEC has already prepared the electoral rolls with photographs of voters, but it is for the bench to decide on which of the directions of the single judge should be implemented and which need not be. Only then the other process of the election can begin, he added.The issue pertains to an appeal moved by the SEC assailing the order of a single judge dated October 4, 2016, cancelling the election notification dated September 26, 2016, citing non-compliance with the Tamil Nadu Panchayat (Elections) Rules, 1995. As a consequence, the elections scheduled for October 2016 stood cancelled.On February 21, another division bench of the court directed the SEC to complete the election process for civic bodies no later than May 14. But citing practical difficulties, the commission sought more time.Subsequently, the DMK moved another fresh plea seeking direction to the SEC to conduct the elections immediately in a time bound manner. When both the pleas were taken up for hearing on Friday, the bench, after recording the submission of the SEC, posted the pleas to July 26 for passing interim orders.

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