PANJIM: With six petitions challenging the Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities’ reservation for the August 10 general panchayat elections being heard before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, the Division Bench on Wednesday questioned the State Election Commission’s (SEC) application of the ‘independent mind’ in enforcing the reservation.
The High Court partly heard the petitions wherein the SEC made its submission. The hearing will continue on Thursday, which will witness the SEC completing its submissions before the Division Bench of Justice M S Sonak and Justice R N Laddha followed by submissions by the State government.
The bench during the hearing also noticed that after receiving data from Goa State Commission for Backward Classes, a Committee comprising government employees was constituted to evaluate the parameter of the triple test in accordance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines. Later, OBC reservation was notified based on the recommendations of the Committee.
The High Court observed that the State Election Commissioner being an autonomous authority should have applied its independent mind, which prima facie didn’t seem like.
The SEC has been directed to submit documents regarding constituting that Committee, and the minutes of the meetings.
Petitioners Alex D’Souza, Srikrishna Nagvekar, Salvador Blaize Peter Fernandes, Salim Sayed, and others have challenged the recent notification pertaining to Parra, Candolim, and Arpora-Nagoa Village Panchayats and seeking revocation of restoring the previous notification.
The elections to 186 village panchayats, which have been delayed owing to various reasons, are scheduled for August 10 while the counting will be held on August 12.
