Madras HC Stays Puducherry Local Body Polls Once Again Over Lack Of Quota To BCs, SCs

Following this, the bench told the Puducherry Election Commission to stall the poll proceedings till October 21. 

Madras High Court

Chennai: Days after election was stopped due to anomalies in reserving wards for Local Body Polls, the Madras High Court on Monday stayed Puducherry Local Body Polls once again on Monday over violating constitutional mandate in giving quota to Backward Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Court gave the order ahead of the polls earlier scheduled in three phases on October 21, 25 and 28. 

On Monday, the Madras High Court decided to stall the local body elections due to withdrawal of quota given to BCs and STs. Earlier, the election was stopped due to the anomalies in reserving wards due to a change induced by the Puducherry government.

According to a report on IANS, the petition filed by DMK MLA R Siva came up once again before a division bench of Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Abdul Quddhose. In the petition, the legislator pleaded with the Court to stay the polls till October 21. 

Following this, the bench told the Puducherry Election Commission to stall the poll proceedings till October 21. 

Giving the order, the bench posted the matter to Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee for filing counter affidavit and giving further orders. The Court also noted that the Chief Justice Banerjee allowed the Puducherry government and EC to clear the anomalies mentioned in the writ petitions but instead of setting the anomalies right they have rescinded the quota for BCs and STs. 

After the order, the Election Commission rescheduled the polls to the five municipal panchayats and 10 commune panchayats to November 2,7 and 13 in three phases.