By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 23 Jun: Following the interim stay imposed by the Uttarakhand High Court on the 2025 three-tier panchayat elections, the state government has initiated steps to comply with the judicial directives in this regard. In a clarification issued following the Court stay, Secretary, Panchayati Raj, Chandresh Kumar, stated that the gazette notification of the 2025 Reservation Rules has been sent to the Government Press in Roorkee for printing. He affirmed the government’s resolve to uphold the constitutional framework governing the Panchayati Raj system while honouring the dignity of the judiciary.
This move comes in response to the interim order passed by the High Court in Nainital, which had stalled the ongoing reservation process due to the absence of a gazette notification. Kumar clarified that the printed notification would be issued shortly and placed before the Court to seek necessary judicial guidance.
The issue is mostly pertaining to the reservations of certain wards and constituencies in the panchayat elections. The petitioners allege that an arbitrary approach rather than a proper and just procedure had been adopted in respect of the reservations. They had also pointed out that certain wards and seats have been put under the reserved category for the fourth consecutive time which is not just. It may be recalled that, with the exception of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts, other states have a predominantly upper caste population and that elections are not being held in Haridwar. In Uttarakhand, consecutive reservation of wards or seats is bound to create anguish. It may also be recalled here that the Panchayati Raj Department had already issued the election notification, thereby enforcing the Model Code of Conduct across the state. However, four petitioners approached the High Court challenging the reservation roster. The Court, taking cognisance of the absence of a formal gazette notification on reservations, stayed the process, casting a shadow on the elections scheduled for this year.
With the Court having stayed the panchayat election process, albeit on interim basis, thousands of aspiring candidates and voters are now in a state of uncertainty, awaiting clarity on the revised reservation framework and the consequent electoral timeline.
Panchayati Raj Secretary Chandresh Kumar today emphasised that the government remains committed to conducting the panchayat elections in accordance with constitutional provisions and legal norms. He expressed hope that the stay would be vacated once the Court is apprised of the issuance of the gazette.
Meanwhile, State Election Commissioner Sushil Kumar also stated the Commission has not yet received the High Court’s order. Its legal counsel present in court has been directed to obtain the order’s copy immediately. He added that the Commission will study the order in detail, particularly its scope and implications for the electoral process, before deciding the future course of action.
Sushil Kumar reiterated that the State Election Commission is not a party to the case and that it concerns the matter between the petitioners and the government department overseeing reservations. He however asserted that the Model Code of Conduct in rural areas of 12 districts in the state, remains in force and can only be lifted by the Commission, not by any judicial pronouncement.
Kumar further noted that judicial intervention in reservation matters could indeed affect the election process but added that any such assessment would be possible only after reviewing the order’s contents in full.
Following the High Court’s stay, the state government will now possibly aim to satisfy the court regarding the legality of the reservation process, and getting the stay vacated in order to pave the way for the upcoming panchayat elections.
Meanwhile, the lapse on the part of the department concerned has provided the opposition an opportunity to go on the offensive.
