SC orders status quo for 5 weeks on BMC elections in Maharashtra
[ad_1]
India
oi-Prakash KL
New
Delhi,
Aug
22:
The
Supreme
Court,
hearing
the
matter
related
to
the
OBC
reservations
in
Maharashtra
local
elections,
on
Monday
ordered
the
parties
to
maintain
status
quo
for
five
weeks
and
stated
that
a
special
bench
would
be
constituted
for
the
same.
The
matter
was
heard
by
a
special
bench
comprising
Chief
Justice
NV
Ramana
and
Justices
Abhay
S
Oka
and
JB
Pardiwala.
BMC
Elections
2022:
Shiv
Sena
prepared
to
go
solo,
to
win
over
100
seats
As
per
its
order
dated
20.07.2017,
the
Court
had
allowed
OBC
reservation
as
recommended
by
the
Backward
Classes
Commission
in
the
local
bodies
but
the
court
had
clarified
that
OBC
reservation
could
not
be
implemented
in
367
bodies
where
election
process
had
already
been
notified,
Live
Law
reported.
In
July,
the
Supreme
Court
directed
the
Maharashtra
state
election
commission
(SEC)
and
the
state
authorities
to
commence
the
process
for
local
bodies’ election
within
two
weeks.
The
apex
court,
which
was
hearing
the
case
related
to
OBC
quota
in
Maharashtra
local
body
elections
and
was
apprised
that
the
poll
process
for
367
local
bodies
has
already
started,
observed
the
election
cannot
be
deferred
anymore.
“We
want
elections
to
be
held
and
we
are
making
it
loud
and
clear
to
all
of
you.
Let
the
election
process
commence.
Let
it
be
taken
to
the
logical
end,”
a
bench
headed
by
Justice
AM
Khanwilkar
said,
while
directing
that
the
poll
process
be
commenced
within
two
weeks.
The
bench,
also
comprising
justices
AS
Oka
and
JB
Pardiwala,
was
hearing
an
application
related
to
local
bodies’ elections
in
Maharashtra.
The
top
court
noted
that
the
counsel
appearing
for
the
SEC
pointed
out
that
the
election
programme
for
367
local
bodies
had
already
commenced
and
the
same
would
be
continued
and
taken
to
its
logical
end
in
due
course.
“As
regards
the
remaining
local
bodies
referred
to
in
the
chart
filed
in
the
status
report,
we
direct
the
election
commission
and
all
the
state
authorities
to
ensure
that
the
election
process
in
respect
of
each
of
those
local
bodies
is
immediately
commenced
and
taken
forward
on
the
basis
of
the
direction
given
by
this
court
in
an
order
dated
May
4,
2022,” the
bench
said.
In
its
May
4
order,
the
apex
court
had
directed
the
SEC
to
notify
the
programme
for
local
bodies
elections
within
two
weeks.
During
the
hearing
on
July
20,
the
counsel
appearing
for
the
SEC
said
they
have
filed
a
compliance
report
and
gave
details
about
the
status
of
the
election
process.
The
bench
dealt
with
the
application
filed
by
Maharashtra
which
said
that
the
poll
panel
should
be
permitted
to
proceed
with
the
election
process
of
the
remaining
local
bodies
on
the
basis
of
the
report
of
the
dedicated
commission
for
reservation
for
other
backward
classes
(OBCs)
in
the
local
bodies
that
was
submitted
on
July
7
after
complying
with
necessary
inquiries
for
arriving
at
a
figure
for
providing
reservation
local
body
wise.
In
December
last
year,
the
top
court
had
directed
the
SEC
to
notify
27
per
cent
of
seats
in
the
local
body,
which
were
reserved
for
the
OBCs,
as
general
seats
so
that
the
poll
process
can
be
taken
forward.
The
top
court
had
in
January
directed
the
state
government
to
submit
data
on
OBCs
to
the
commission
to
examine
its
correctness
and
make
recommendations
on
their
representation
in
elections
for
the
local
bodies.
[ad_2]
Source link