Justice Joymalya Bagchi, sitting with Justice V. Mohana, said the court had prima facie merit in YSRCP’s claim that violence had kept 63.5% of its candidates from filing nomination papers in the Andhra Pradesh urban local body elections.
The bench noted that YSRCP had filed an application to the High Court on October 10, seeking additional nomination centres, but a single‑judge bench rejected it on October 15, and a division bench turned down a 24‑hour extension on October 18.
In its orders, the Supreme Court directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission to decide by October 22 whether to extend nomination deadlines in affected areas, to postpone the publication of the final candidate list to October 25, and to examine the violence complaints by Thursday.
The Court also urged the state to provide police protection and CCTV coverage at nomination filing centres, warning that law and order should not cast a shadow over the elections.
A candidate from Tirupati has already filed an affidavit alleging that his nomination papers were snatched and that he was physically attacked on October 16, a fact the YSRCP says has been ignored by the state.
The Commission is expected to file its decision on October 22, after which the final list will be released on October 25, with a court hearing scheduled for the following Thursday to review the violence claims.