Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The election to the 11 municipalities and Corporatorin of the City of Panaji (CCP) seems to now be slowly going under the cloud of doubt with the State Election Commission (SEC) admitting in the HC that the reservations notified for women is not in accordance with the mandate of the constitution.
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has asked State Election Commission to submit a reply by tomorrow whether they will be going ahead and asking for the state government to correct the discrepancies in reservation.
The HC has also asked SEC whether it will go with the election even if government doesn’t correct.
When the matter came up for hearing, the petitioner argued that fhere are several municipalities where less wards are reserved for women than mandatory 33.33% as per law.
The petitioner cited example of Bicholim and Cuncolim Municipalities where the reservation for women is only 29%.
The petitioner also argued that in Mormugao Municipality the rotation or allotment of reservation is done in haphazard manner.
On Monday, the High Court had pulled up State Election Commission for declaring poll schedule despite the petitions challenging reservation pending before them.
The court is hearing at least 11 petitions challenging the Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Act 2021, as well as reservations and delimitation of municipal wards.
When the petitions came up for hearing on Monday the bench rapped the Commission for declaring the elections in a ‘hurried manner’.
