3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Nainital HC lifts stay on Uttarakhand Panchayat elections, seeks govt reply on quota irregularities
DEHRADUN: The Nainital High Court on Friday lifted the stay on panchayat elections in Uttarakhand, allowing the electoral process to proceed. However, it has directed the state government to respond to public interest litigations (PILs) alleging irregularities in the reservation roster.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice G. Narendra and Justice Alok Mahra removed the stay after hearing multiple petitions challenging the reservation roster for the state's panchayat elections.
The bench instructed the State Election Commission to issue a revised election schedule, extending the previous one by three days. The state government has also been granted three weeks to submit its response to the issues raised in the petitions.
The petitioners have raised concerns about the allocation of reservations for Block Pramukh and Zila Panchayat President posts. They allege that several seats have been continuously reserved for the same category over an extended period, which they argue contravenes Article 243 of the Constitution and various Supreme Court rulings.
