HC directs SEC to conduct ZP and PS polls

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Feb 9 (UNI) The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court today directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to complete the Zilla Parishad (ZP) and Panchayat Samiti election process within the stipulated time.

The bench, comprising Justice N H Patil and Justice R M Borde, also directed the election commission to follow the reservation by rotation system in these elections.

While allowing the petition filed by Aurangabad ZP member Prashant Bamb and four others, the court directed the SEC to follow its 2001 affidavit, according to which the SEC had assured to follow the reservation by rotation system from the next elections.

The SEC now has to conduct the elections before the expiry of the term of local self-governments --panchayat samitis and zilla parishads, on March 13 and March 20 respectively.

Earlier, on January 17, the Supreme Court dismissed the SEC Special Leave Petition (SLP) regarding the ZP elections. The SEC had approached the Supreme Court against the Aurangabad bench HC orders to follow the reservation by rotation system, according to the government pleader Nandkumar B Khandare.

Bamb and others had approached the High Court bench challenging SEC's decision to follow the same rotation system for reservation in the ZP and panchayat samiti polls. The High Court had on October 20, 2006, directed the SEC to follow the rotation system for the reservations for SC and ST categories, as per population ratio, Mr Khandare said.

UNI