AP High Court stays local body polls in Khammam
The elections were based on earlier reservation system
Hyderabad: Justice Ramesh Ranganathan of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday stayed the elections to be held to the posts of Khammam zilla parishad chairman and presidents to the mandal parishads in the district.
The judge was hearing a petition by ZPTC member B. Vijaygandhi and MPTC member K. Rosi Reddy of Burgampahad mandal of the district seeking stay of elections to the posts of ZPP chairman and MPP presidents of the district till the government reworks the reservations.
The petitioners submitted that the reservations for the offices of ZPTC and MPTC members as well as chairman of ZPTC and presidents of MPPs were worked out before bifurcation of the state of AP and by taking the united Andhra Pradesh and the district, respectively, as a unit and by way of rotation.
Accordingly, the office of ZPP chairman was reserved for SC (women) and MPP president of Burgampahad mandal was reserved for OC (general). They contended that conducting elections based on earlier reservation system were illegal.
The judge granted interim stay and directed the counsel for the panchayat raj department to file a counter affidavit on the plea.