MCD Elections 2017: Delhi High Court reserves order in case challenging civic polls

The plea alleged that the notification issued by State Election Commission violates constitutional provisions regarding representations of women and reserved communities in Municipal Corporations.

Written by: Ravi Kaushal

Updated: March 23, 2017, 11:59 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/mcd-elections-2017-delhi-high-court-reserves-order-in-case-challenging-civic-polls-1936381/ Copy

दिल्ली हाई कोर्ट

New Delhi, March 17: After hearing the plea seeking to quash the notification of MCD elections, Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its order in the matter. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar said that the arguments have been heard and it will reserve its order. The plea filed by several social activists and non-government organisations (NGOs) alleged that the notification issued by State Election Commission violates constitutional provisions regarding representations of women and reserved communities in Municipal Corporations.

Refuting the claims in the plea, the State Election Commission termed the allegations “absurd”. The Commission opined that major stakeholders including political parties have not raised questions over its decision. The commission argued that all political parties have been discussed in determining the number of reserved seats for women along with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Lawyer Sumeet Pushkarna representing the State Election Commission said that commission took the decision after the due consultation process. The plea filed by NGOs claims that the notification violates the norms of Constitution as well as Section 3 of the DMC Act.

In the plea filed by NGOs, they argued the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was divided into three parts. While the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and North Delhi Municipal Corporation consists of 104 wards, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation houses 64 seats. The number of wards in the municipal corporations remained same over the years. However, the number of wards in a few assembly segments has changed.  The article 243 of the Constitution of India ensures reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in local bodies.

The three municipal corporations will go to polls on April 23. State Election Commission will announce the results on April 26.