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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
High drama marks Panchayat polls in Nainital
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court on Thursday took cognizance of allegations that five elected representatives in Nainital district panchayat were missing ahead of voting. However, police said that affidavits submitted by the five elected members claimed they were staying away voluntarily. Counting of votes underway for Uttarakhand Panchayat Elections, in Nainital, on July 31 (PTI) Congress leaders alleged that they were abducted to influence the outcome of election of district panchayat president for which voting was underway on Thursday . A division bench of chief justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra, hearing a public interest litigation, questioned the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nainital PN Meena on whether the missing representatives had been traced. The SSP said security personnel had visited their homes as per earlier court directions to provide protection 10 days before voting, but were told by relatives that the representatives were visiting family and did not require security. Polling was held on Thursday for the posts of district panchayat presidents as well as vice presidents and Block Pramukhs. The SSP added that the police had received affidavits from the five representatives stating they were travelling and had asked that no case be registered if anyone reported them missing. Two more similar affidavits were received on Thursday. Advocate General SN Babulkar told the court that all representatives had confirmed they were abstaining from voting on their own will. However, senior counsel DS Patni presented a pen drive with video footage allegedly showing one of the representatives, Dikar Singh Mewari, being dragged away by unidentified men, some of whose faces were visible, while an armed policeman looked away. Another video purportedly showed three more affidavit signatories being forcibly removed from a polling booth. The bench directed that both videos be handed over to the Nainital SSP and District Magistrate Vandana Singh for examination. Counsel DS Mehta told the court that an attempt to file a kidnapping complaint naming the alleged abductors was rejected by the Tallital SHO. The SSP assured the bench that action would be taken against any police personnel found guilty of dereliction of duty. Family members of three missing representatives — Uma Bisht, sister of Deep Singh Bisht; Vinod Kotalia, brother of Pramod Singh; and Sanjeev Jantwal, son of Vipin Singh Jantwal-appeared before the court — each detailing how their relatives were taken away. Kotalia alleged that his brother was abducted by a group . Jantwal said he had seen a video of his father's abduction on a Facebook account. The court ordered that its directions be sent immediately to the district magistrate and SSP, with affidavits kept in the safe custody of the Registrar (Judicial). The matter will be heard next on August 18. Earlier, high drama was witnessed during the election for district panchayat president and block Pramukh in Nainital, turned tense on Thursday with clashes, allegations of kidnapping and even firing between supporters of the BJP and Congress. Congress leaders Yashpal Arya, Khatima MLA Bhuvan Kapri, Haldwani MLA Sumit Hridayesh, former MLA Sanjeev Arya, district panchayat president candidate Pushpa Negi, and 10 members arrived at the High Court while a hearing was underway before Chief Justice G Narender and Justice Alok Mahra. They alleged before the bench that 'people of the ruling party' assaulted them and 'tried to kidnap some members.' Showing election result certificates for 15 members, they claimed that 'five of their local leaders were missing.' The court directed District Magistrate Vandana Singh and SSP Nainital PN Meena to appear virtually within minutes. It ordered both officers to 'maintain law and order' and ensure 'peaceful and fair elections,' instructing that members be brought to the polling station in police security. High Court security officer Rakesh Bisht was tasked with escorting the 10 district panchayat members who were in court to the polling station under police protection. In the block pramukh election at Betalghat in Nainital districts, three rounds of firing were reported amid clashes between supporters of both parties. Police dispersed the crowd and began an investigation. Both sides accused each other of instigating violence. BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt alleged that Yashpal Arya was 'trying to influence the voting,' while Congress state president Karan Mahara accused the BJP of 'assaulting Congress leaders.' District Magistrate Vandana Singh, who appeared in the court in the evening again, told the court that she will recommend repolling for zila panchayat elections to the state election commission (SEC)
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
30% reservation for U'Khand women in govt jobs challenged in HC
Dehradun: A plea challenging the 30% horizontal reservation for women domiciled in Uttarakhand in state public service jobs has been admitted by the Uttarakhand high court, with a division bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra adjourning the matter to Aug 18. The petitioner, Satya Dev Tyagi, has challenged section 3(1) of the Uttarakhand Public Service (Horizontal Reservation for Women) Act, 2022, arguing it violates Article 16 of the Constitution and Part 3, which guarantees equal opportunity in public employment. Tyagi claimed the state legislature lacked proper legislative competence to enact the provision and sought its removal through judicial review. On Mar 14, 2024, Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) advertised 189 vacancies in the PCS examination for posts including deputy collector, deputy superintendent of police and district commandant Home Guard. Clause 10(D) of the advertisement stated that 30% of the posts would be reserved horizontally for women who are original inhabitants of Uttarakhand. In 2022, HC had stayed the implementation of this reservation after a plea argued it discriminated against women from other states. Govt had then approached Supreme Court, which in Feb 2023 lifted the stay and allowed the quota to be implemented. The law was brought in to improve female representation in state services, applying across all social categories — general, SC, ST and OBC — under the principle of horizontal reservation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Successful Way of Intraday Trading is "Market Profile" TradeWise Learn More Undo Horizontal reservation differs from vertical reservation, which is caste or category-specific. Critics argue that domicile-based quotas within the same gender may breach the equality clause of the Constitution if not supported by compelling state interest and clear legislative authority.
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘GST Act little beyond understanding of common man'; HC overturns restaurant registration cancellation
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has quashed the cancellation of a restaurant's GST registration and allowed it to reapply, saying the GST Act remains "technically complex for citizens focused on running their daily businesses". The division bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra held that the delay in seeking revocation must be condoned as such cancellations affect sources of livelihood and reduce state revenue. The court passed the order earlier this week while hearing a petition filed by M/s River View Restaurant in Bageshwar. The bench noted that GST is still in its initial phase and that several of its provisions are beyond the understanding of a common person. The court directed the petitioner to file a fresh application for restoration of GST registration within three weeks. It also instructed the department to process the application within the following three-week period. Counsel for the respondents — commissioner and joint commissioner of state goods and services tax — said the petitioner had the option to apply for revocation under Section 30 of the Central GST Act, 2017. The provision allows a registered taxpayer, whose GST registration has been cancelled by the proper officer on their own motion, to apply for revocation of the cancellation order within 30 days — which can be extended up to 90 days — provided all pending returns are filed and tax dues are paid. The petitioner's counsel admitted that no such application was filed within the prescribed time. The court said, "We feel that the limitation should not take precedence for reconsideration of the order of cancellation. Keeping a larger objective of the involvement of livelihood and also loss of revenue to the department, we are of the considered opinion that delay in invoking the provisions of the Act is required to be condoned and is, accordingly, condoned." Several high courts, including Delhi, Madras and Gujarat, have in recent months condoned delays in GST registration revocation filings under section 30, particularly in cases involving small businesses, where courts observed that cancellation could affect income and state revenue.
Time of India
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC halts stone crusher operation near residential area
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court's division bench of Justices Ravindra Maithani and Alok Mahra issued notices to M/s Sai Kripa Stone Crusher during a PIL hearing on environmental concerns over its construction in Dehradun. The court directed the state to act within a week and submit a counter-affidavit in four weeks. Petitioner Skand Kumar Sing, a social activist, highlighted that the crusher is just 200m from a densely populated area, including residential houses, schools, and an anganwadi centre. The petitioner also submitted maps showing the location of the crusher. He sought the suspension of both construction and operations during the petition's pendency. A college principal also repeatedly notified authorities about the stone crusher's construction, disrupting educational activities in the school. The counsel representing the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) said that, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) policy, stone crushers are permitted to operate only in designated zones and must be at least 300m from residential areas. These operations release significant fugitive dust, causing environmental pollution and health risks to workers and nearby residents. The court allowed respondents to file objections to the interim relief application. "In the meanwhile, the stone crusher unit shall not carry out construction or operation of the stone crusher. The district magistrate, Dehradun, shall ensure it," the court said on Friday, scheduling the next hearing for Oct 8.
Time of India
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
ADM answers HC CJ's ques in Hindi,court questions his ability to hold post
Dehradun: A senior PCS officer, who serves as additional district magistrate and electoral registration officer of Nainital, encountered an awkward situation recently in Uttarakhand high court when he communicated with Chief Justice G Narendar in Hindi. Asked about his English proficiency, he acknowledged that while he could comprehend English, he was unable to speak the language fluently. The division bench of CJ and Justice Alok Mahra, scheduled the next hearing for July 28 and instructed the state election commissioner (SEC) and chief secretary to "examine as to whether an officer of the cadre of ADM, who claims to have no knowledge of English 'or in his own words inability to convey in English', would be in a position to effectively control an executive post?" The court was deliberating on a petition related to voter list preparation under the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj (Registration of Electors) Rules, 1994. The case centred on the validity of using only the family register for panchayat electoral roll entries. The primary question was whether names could be legally added to the rolls based exclusively on family register entries without additional documentation or verification. During the previous hearing, SEC explained that booth level officers would visit households, collect family member names from one representative and record them without supporting documentation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It? Memory Health Learn More Undo These names would subsequently appear in the provisional electoral list and, without objections, would be included in the final electoral list. HC enquired about measures taken to verify family register entries and whether any documentation was collected to validate claims made to booth level officers during enumeration. Officials and the SEC counsel confirmed they relied solely on the family register. The division bench suggested that if this practice was widespread across the state, it raised questions about the exercise's legality. Considering the issue's significance, the bench instructed SEC and chief secretary to appear virtually before the HC to address the court's concerns and present their positions through affidavits.
