PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has issued notices to the Goa Government, the State Election Commission and others in a bunch of petitions challenging the notification issued by the State Election Commission notifying wards in villages as reserved for OBCs.
There are totally four petitions filed in the HC challenging the OBC reservations -- two are filed by Arpora Nagoa panchayat voters, one from Candolim panchayat and one from Parra panchayat challenging the OBC reservations notified by the Election Commission -- that the notification reserving seats for OBC in this panchayat should be set aside and they should be restored back to general category.
“They challenge that the triple test as mentioned by the SC is not met in this case,” state Advocate General Devidas Pangam said.
“But our case is that it is completely satisfied, the OBC commission has done that exercise based on the data that was already available with them. They sought for fresh data and on the basis of that, such a reservation has been provided for now by the Election Commission,” he added.
“We are saying now that the schedule has been announced, it is not possible for the court to interfere as it would amount to interference in elections and that there is a constitutional bar in interfering in elections,” the Advocate General said.
The State Election Commission issued a fresh notification this time including reservations for OBCs after the OBC Commission and the State government provided fresh data to the government, which they say is in consonance with the triple test mandated by the Supreme Court.
