A day after a single judge of the state high court refused to stop the process of the local body elections, a division bench of the high court today granted stay and asked the state election authorities and the government not to conduct the elections till further orders.

The division bench granted the stay on a petition filed by the Association of the Gram Panchayat Presidents and asked the government to put on hold the implementation of the GO No.128 providing 60 per cent reservations in the local body elections.

The Association argued the GO has violated the orders of the Supreme Court that reservations should not go beyond 50 per cent in any case. The office bearers of the association sought directions to the government not to implement the GO on reservations. “There should be no elections till the reservations issue is settled,” said the court accepting the prayer of the Association.