The Himachal Pradesh High Court Tuesday issued notices to the Urban Development Department, state election commission, and Shimla mayor on a PIL challenging a recent government decision to double the tenures of the mayor and deputy mayors from two and a half years to five.

While the government decision, by way of an ordinance approved October 25, extends to all municipal corporations in the state, the mayors and deputy mayors of Shimla — Surinder Chauhan and Uma Kaushal, respectively — are the immediate beneficiaries as their two and a half-year terms were to end on November 15.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia, and comprising Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj, directed the respondents to file their replies by the next date of hearing on November 11.

The benc

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