MAPUSA
The petitioner, Dnyneswar Damodar Morajkar, a BJP karyakarta has told The Goan that he had filed his nomination through registered post on the last day of the nomination.
Four SC candidates had also filed their nominations from the ward.
In the High Court, Morajkar argued that there was no SC voter in Ward 1 in 2011 and there was no SC reservation in 2012 panchayat election and yet in 2017 Ward 1 in Bastora was declared as reserved for Scheduled Caste.
Morajkar further said the total electorate in Bastora Panchayat was approximately 3,138, which were divided among seven wards of
the panchayat.
“At the highest, there are not more than 200 voters belonging to Ward 1 and therefore the reservation of the ward for SC is grossly arbitrary, illegal and contrary to the constitutional scheme
for reservation,” the petitioner averred.
He said there was no marked change in the SC population in the Bastora Panchayat to justify the reservation of Ward 1 for SC
candidates.
The petitioner further said five of the seven wards in the panchayat were reserved “ 1 SC, 2 OBC and 2 ladies “ leaving only two to the general category, which he said was without any justification.
“There is no basis or criteria or any policy spelt out on reservation to justify the reservation of Ward 1 for SC category even on a bare reading of Section 7(4) of the Panchayat Raj Act and Article 243 of the Constitution of India,” the petitioner said.
The petitioner further appealed that since the scrutiny of the nominations will be completed on Saturday, the very purpose of him filing the nomination would be defeated.
The High Court in its order stayed the notification dated May 16 and May 17 declaring Ward 1 of Bastora as SC
ward, which now will be a general ward.
