PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has heard at length a bunch of petitions challenging the reservations notified by the State Election Commission and reserved for orders including a petition challenging the SEC’s decision to notify the reservations without any reservations for the Other Backward Classes.
“In terms of OBC reservation we told the High Court that we didn't get the data and that too the data in compliance with the triple test judgement of the Supreme Court. The triple test was referred to in 2010 and again in 2021 and now in the recent judgement passed by the Supreme Court,” Adv S N Joshi who represented the State Election Commission said.
The State government told the court that they are ‘eager’ to hold the panchayat elections with OBC reservations and are prepared to knock on any door in order to be allowed to hold it with reservations.
“We have taken a stand before the High Court that we want these OBC reservations done and that we are trying our best to have it completed and whatever steps are to be taken are being taken to get the reservation done. We told the court we want the OBC reservation to be done for the coming elections,” Advocate General Devidas Pangam, said.
“In the case of MP they went to the Supreme Court with an interim report on the reservation and the SC allowed them to have the polls with the OBC reservations. We are also exploring that possibility,” he added.
Besides reservations for OBCs, several other petitions challenged the reservation of certain wards by the State Election Commission, which is doing the reservations for the first time
“We pointed out to the HC that there is no pattern to reservation of wards as such. Secondly, earlier when the Directorate of Panchayats used to do reservation of seats, they used to reserve seats for women at the first instance and then the other reservations were done. The SEC is doing reservation for the first time and so we have given first preference to the constitution -- reservation for SC, ST and reservation for women. The reservation for OBCs will only come thereafter,” Joshi told reporters outside the High Court.
Aside from the issue of OBC reservations, the Goa government has already filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the orders of the High Court which has directed that panchayat elections in Goa be held without any further delay and be completed within 45 days which ends of August 12.
