CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the government of Puducherry to expedite the process for devising reservation framework for the local bodies and conduct the polls. The direction was given by the first division bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan recently while disposing of a petition filed by former MP Dr M Ramadass.
The petitioner stated that the civic body polls have not been conducted for the past 14 years and the people of the Union Territory are denied their constitutional right to participate in democracy which forms an integral part of right to life.
He also said non-conduct of the local body elections is in violation of Articles 243E and 243U of the Constitution; it is also violation of Article 14 of the Constitution inasmuch as the people of Puducherry are arbitrarily denied the elected local governance.
The counsel for the Puducherry government submitted that the one-man commission (headed by a retired judge), constituted for making recommendations on reservation in the civic bodies, has submitted its report to the government which is actively pursuing the matter. He said once the reservation framework is finalised, it will be conveyed to the State Election Commission for allotment and rotation of reserved wards, and then further steps will be taken to hold the polls. He also sought two years’ time for completing the exercise.
Referring to his submission, the bench said, “The conduct of local body elections must necessarily be preceded by a legally sustainable reservation framework and upon finalisation of it, the same will be transmitted to the office of the state election commissioner, whose post is vacant now.”