UP Civic Elections: SC to Hear Plea Filed by UP Gov Today

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear the petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh government against the High Court’s decision regarding the Uttar Pradesh civic elections. On January 2, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had mentioned the matter on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government and sought listing of the matter on Tuesday. However, the court said that it will hear the matter on Wednesday.

The Uttar Pradesh government on last Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court regarding OBC reservation in local body elections. On behalf of the state government, it was said in the Supreme Court that they have constituted the OBC commission, in such a situation, the local body elections should be conducted after the report of the commission.

The Uttar Pradesh government on last Wednesday constituted a Backward Classes Commission in the state. The commission, will be chaired by retired Judge Ram Avtar Singh.An official statment issued by Uttarpradesh government and said “On the basis of the commission’s report, the backward class reservation will be decided for UP’s municipal body elections,”

Former IAS officers CS Verma and Mahendra Kumar, former legal advisor Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma and former additional legal advisor and additional district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni are other members of the commission.

On last Tuesday, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered the government to conduct urban body elections in UP without implementing the OBC quota.

According to this, a rapid survey of backward classes is to be conducted by the state government in every municipal body. Since 1991, all the elections to the municipal bodies (years-1995, 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2017) have been conducted on the basis of these provisions given in the Act and the report of the Rapid Survey.