Mayoral polls: HC seeks clarification on roster prepared by Punjab

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday sought clarifications from the Punjab government on the reservation roster prepared by it for mayoral polls in the state.

The high court stated that a perusal of 2012 showed that the roster point 10 was reserved for scheduled castes and roster point 17 was reserved for women. "But, how such points will be allocated amongst the MCs cannot be made out from the reading of the roster," the division bench of justice Hemant Gupta and justice Lisa Gill said, adding that after amendment of the rules, the previous reservation of the MCs to be reserved for SCs, backward classes and women could not be referred to. "Prima facie, we find the roster amended on 2012 'unworkable'," the court asked the government seeking clarification.

The high court was hearing petitions filed by the Punjab government and some councillors of SAS Nagar on the issue of mayoral polls in SAS Nagar.

The Punjab government has challenged the single judge's order, wherein the government's decision to reserve the mayor's post in the SAS Nagar municipal corporation for women was set aside.

The councillors, on the other hand, are seeking early mayoral election. The election was held on February 25 but the city is yet to get a mayor, as the high court had stayed the election.