Lucknow, Apr 30 (PTI) The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has issued a contempt notice to the Principal Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department, Anil Kumar, seeking clarification on the timeline for constituting an Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission for the upcoming panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of Justice Saurabh Lavania passed the order on a contempt petition filed by petitioner M L Yadav and fixed May 19 as the next date of hearing.
According to the plea, the high court had on February 4 disposed of an earlier petition after the state counsel assured that the government was in the process of constituting the OBC Commission. However, contrary to the assurance given before the court, the petitioner alleged that the commission has not yet been set up.
Taking note of the submission, the bench prima facie observed that despite the undertaking given earlier, the commission has not been constituted, indicating a possible violation of the state's assurance to the court.
The petitioner further submitted that the delay in constituting the OBC Commission is holding up the process for the ensuing panchayat elections, as reservation for OBCs is determined based on the panel's report.
The development comes at a time when the term of panchayats in UP is nearing its end, even as the required commission has not yet been formed. The court is expected to further examine the matter on the next date of hearing.