Haldwani, Sept. 30 -- The Uttarakhand high court on Wednesday directed authorities to conduct the counting of votes for the recently held municipal elections in Kichha and Sirauli Kalan in Udham Singh Nagar district within three weeks, after hearing petitions challenging the deferment of the counting process.

A division bench comprising chief justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and justice Subhash Upadhyay was hearing petitions challenging orders of the State Election Commission and the state government deferring the counting.

The state government, citing law and order concerns following disturbances at polling booths during the September 22 elections, had sought two more weeks to conduct the counting. It told the court that the ballot papers had...