The Uttarakhand High Court has cleared the way for next month’s panchayat elections, unfreezing a stay that had briefly halted the democratic process in the state’s rural pockets.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G Narender and Justice Alok Mehra lifted the stay after the government submitted its documentation justifying the rules on rotating reservations. The court had hit pause on June 23, following a petition that flagged concerns over the legality of the reservation reshuffle.
At the heart of the storm is the allegation that the revised policy distorts the intended rhythm of seat rotation — potentially extending reservations beyond the three-year cap set under Section 126 of the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act, 2016, and clashing with Article 243T of the Constitution. The petitioner, Ganesh Datt Kandpal, argued that the policy tinkering could turn temporary quotas into near-permanent fixtures.
A full order is still awaited, but the Bench’s decision signals a green light for the electoral process to proceed — with one eye still trained on the rulebook.
