Big decision of Patna High Court, ban on municipal elections in Bihar

Patna High Court has given a big decision regarding the municipal elections. Municipal elections have been banned with immediate effect. The Patna High Court has almost put a stay on the issue of reservation on the municipal elections to be held in the state. The High Court has asked to stop the voting in the seats reserved for the most backward in the civic elections. The court has told the State Election Commission that it has not completed the process of triple test fixed by the Supreme Court for the reservation of backwards. Along with this, it was also asked to ensure that the limit of reservation for SC, ST, OBC does not exceed the limit of 50% of the total seats.

Patna High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and S. Kumar's bench has given its decision. The High Court bench has said that the order already given by the Supreme Court regarding the local body elections was not followed in Bihar. In this whole matter, the Patna High Court has expressed displeasure with the State Election Commission. The High Court has said that the responsibility of conducting municipal elections rests with the State Election Commission. The State Election Commission has not fulfilled its constitutional responsibility. The commission has completely failed in this matter.

Earlier, on September 29, the Patna High Court had completed the hearing on the petition filed for reservation for the backwards in the civic elections. The Supreme Court had asked the High Court to hear the matter soon and pronounce its verdict. Since then, it was being speculated that what will the High Court decide in this matter. Recently, the High Court had also made the commission free to decide whether the ongoing election process should be stopped or not.

In the matter of giving reservation in local body elections, the Supreme Court had ruled in 2021 that reservation for OBCs in local bodies cannot be allowed until the government fulfills the eligibility of three investigations laid down by the Supreme Court in 2010. Wouldn't do it In the triple test formula given by the Supreme Court, it was asked to constitute a special commission to collect data on the backwardness of OBCs in that state and to fix the proportion of reservation in each local body in view of the recommendations of the commission.