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HC notice to SEC on plea for reservation in civic poll posts
The Madras High Court has ordered notice to the Centre, State and Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC) on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to restrain the TNSEC from announcing election to local bodies without reserving posts like Deputy Mayor and Village Panchayat head for SC/ST communities and SC/ST women proportionate to their population.
Chennai
Admitting the plea moved by CK Thamilarasan of India Kudiarasu Katchi and a former legislator in this regard, a division bench comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice N Seshasayee directed the Centre, State and TNSEC on Tuesday to file their reply by January 7, 2020.
The petitioner had submitted that there are 15 municipal corporations, 33 district panchayats, 152 municipalities, 561 town panchayats, 388 panchayat unions and 12,618 village panchayats in which 13,870 posts are to be filled through indirect elections.
Though the rule of reservation was followed for the posts to be filled through direct elections, the same was not followed for the posts to be filled through indirect elections, he said.
He further noted that if the rule of reservation is applied, there must be four women corporation deputy mayors, 46 municipal vice-chairwomen, 168 town panchayat vice-chairwomen, one district panchayat vice-chairwomen, 116 panchayat union vice chairwomen and 3,786 women village panchayat vice-presidents.
This apart, from the members of SC/ST communities, there should be three deputy mayors, 29 municipal vice-chairpersons, 107 town panchayat vice-chairpersons, six district panchayat vice chairpersons, 74 panchayat union vice-chairpersons and 2,398 village panchayat vice-presidents in the state, he added.
He also contended in his plea that if the elections were permitted to be conducted without following the mandatory reservation, the rights of SC/ST communities conferred under the Constitution would be adversely affected.
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