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Himachal HC stays govt’s notification empowering DCs to reserve up to 5% seats in panchayat elections
The court ordered that in all such cases, fresh or revised reservation rosters must be issued by 5 pm on Tuesday.
The Himachal Pradesh high court bench, however, clarified that the present order will not affect any other reservation rosters issued by the government independent of the March 30 notification.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court Monday stayed the state government’s March 30 notification that empowered Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to reserve up to five per cent seats in Panchayati Raj elections, terming the provision unconstitutional.
A division bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma passed the interim order, directing the state government to revise the reservation rosters wherever DCs had exercised powers under the said notification.
The court ordered that in all such cases, fresh or revised reservation rosters must be issued by 5 pm on Tuesday.
The bench, however, clarified that the present order will not affect any other reservation rosters issued by the government independent of the March 30 notification.
The ruling is expected to have a significant impact on the ongoing preparations for Panchayati Raj elections in the state, where the process of finalising reservation rosters is currently underway.
District administrations begin issuing reservation rosters
Earlier, in view of the upcoming panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) elections in Himachal Pradesh, district administrations in Shimla, Kangra and Sirmaur have begun issuing reservation rosters for various local bodies, including nagar panchayats and zila parishads, accelerating the election process across the state.
In Shimla district, Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap issued the reservation roster for 25 zila parishad wards in the district, of which 13 have been reserved for women. The number of wards in Shimla has increased to 25 with the creation of a new ward, Kwar.
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The issuance of the roster has also brought clarity regarding the number of panchayats in the district. A total of 441 panchayats are currently included under the 25 wards, down from 446, following a recent court order that annulled the formation of five panchayats. Further clarity is expected once the panchayat roster is officially released.
Meanwhile, in Sirmaur district, Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Verma has issued the reservation roster for the posts of gram panchayat pradhans across eight development blocks. In Kangra district, the administration has also notified the reservation roster for the upcoming PRI elections. The district, which has 18 development blocks and a total of 847 gram panchayats, has declared the roster for 846 panchayats, as the reconstitution of one panchayat remains sub judice.
As per the roster, reservation has been finalised for 846 gram panchayat pradhan posts, 54 zila parishad wards, and the posts of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of panchayat samitis. Of these, 423 gram panchayats, 27 zila parishad wards, and nine panchayat samitis chairperson posts have been reserved for women.
On April 1, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said in the House during the Budget session that PRI elections in the state will be held before May 31.
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