The Uttarakhand High Court on Friday vacated its earlier stay on the upcoming panchayat elections in the state, paving the way for the polls to proceed. However, the court directed the state government to file a response within three weeks to several public interest litigations (PILs) alleging irregularities in the reservation roster for the elections.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendar and Justice Alok Mahara passed the order after hearing multiple petitions that challenged the state’s reservation policy for block pramukh and district panchayat president posts. The petitioners argued that certain categories had been continuously overrepresented in violation of constitutional provisions, particularly Article 243, and contrary to repeated directions of the Supreme Court.
The bench also instructed the State Election Commission to issue a revised election schedule, extending the previously cancelled timeline by three days. The earlier schedule, which had set the polls for July 10 and 15, had to be withdrawn after the court imposed an interim stay on June 23.
Advocate General S.N. Babulkar and Chief Standing Counsel C.D. Rawat defended the state’s decision to revise the reservation roster, citing the findings of the National Commission for Backward Classes. They contended that the previous reservation list was no longer valid and a fresh roster was necessary to ensure fair representation.
The court’s order enables the election process to resume while keeping the question of reservation legality open for judicial review. The next hearing on the matter is expected after the state submits its formal reply to the PILs within the stipulated time.
