Hearing on municipal wards reservation to come up today
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, OCT 10
The petition filed by the residents of Fatorda on the irregularities in the reservation of municipal wards will come up before the High Court on Monday, even as the petitioners have served a notice on Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat and GPCC General Secretary Vijay Sardesai as per the court directions.
Though the high court did not consider grant of stay of the election as the government and the State Election Commission sought time to file reply to the petition, the court has directed the respondents to file an affidavit on the factual aspects of the petition on Monday. The petition will be heard on Monday on admission and interim relief.
One of the petitioners, Cryodon Madeira said their lawyer Adv Niegl da Costa Frias has served a private notice on the Chief Minister and the GPCC general secretary as per the court directions and to remain present during the hearing.
The petitioners Laurel Abranches, Cryodon Madeira and Soccoro D’Souza had accused the Chief Minister and the GPCC general secretary for effecting large scale manipulations in the electoral rolls with the assistance and connivance of the Director of Municipal Administration.
They had contended that the reservations have been done without following the settled norms and procedures, adding that the reservation of wards for women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are to be fixed by DMA having regard to the concentration of the population of those castes or of those tribes as the case may be in the particular ward.
The petitioners maintained that some wards have not been reserved over the last three terms giving rise to an apprehension in their minds and in the minds of the voters over the selective reservations and manipulations of the process.
