Panchayat polls: Haryana to clarify eligibility criteria

New Delhi, Sept 21: The Haryana governmnt will inform the Supreme Court on Tuesday whether it was inclined to drop educational qualification as an eligibility criteria for the candidates aspiring to contest Panchayat elections.

Elections to Panchayats in the state are due and the process commenced on September 8.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on Monday told the apex court bench of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre that they would get back with their response as they found the court had "serious" reservation on the criteria providing for matriculation qualification for the candidates.

The Haryana Panchayati Raj law provides besides education, grounds of criminal background, bank arrears and toilets as eligibilty criteria for the candidates aspiring to contest the Panchayat election.

The court had stayed the amended provisions of the Haryana Panchayati Raj law on September 17.

IANS