Delimitation boards under judicial lens
Tuesday, 16/09/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140916/punjab.htm#23
Chandigarh : A month after the Punjab Government nominated members to delimitation boards of wards in municipalities, a Congress worker has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He has alleged the entire process was illegal, arbitrary, malafide, discriminatory and colourable exercise of power.
In his petition, Congress worker Rajeshwar Singh alleged that the malafide and arbitrary action of the SAD-BJP government was writ large. The “rules have been twisted” to accommodate workers, members and leaders of both the parties in the delimitation boards.
He said: “In all delimitation boards of all municipalities in the entire Punjab, only the members/workers and leaders of the SAD-BJP ruling alliance have been nominated…. No member/worker or leader of the Congress, which is the main opposition party in the state, or of any other party has been nominated on the boards under the aforesaid clause/provision.”
The significance of the petition can be gauged from the fact that it has been filed against the state of Punjab and 245 other respondents. Seeking directions for quashing the Delimitation of Wards of Municipalities Rules, the petitioner has added that the words, “two members”, have also been substituted for “one member”.
Directions have also been sought for quashing notification dated August 14 issued by Punjab’s Department of Local Government (Municipal Elections Office), nominating the members of the delimitation boards.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jaspal Singh asserted: “Since the petitioner impugns nomination of members of delimitation boards of the municipalities, it is stated by his counsel that the writ petition is essentially in public interest. Let the same be listed on September 17 as per roster.”
