Jharkhand revises Panchayat Raj Act, gears up for polls |
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Ranchi : Following the Supreme Court’s directive asking Jharkhand to hold panchayat polls at the earliest, the state government has drafted a blueprint for amending the Jharkhand Panchayat Raj Act (JPA) 2001 and forwarded it to the Cabinet. Jharkhand is the only state where panchayat polls have not yet been held till due to litigation — the case were disposed of by the apex court on January 12.
Top Panchayati Raj Department (PRD) sources told The Indian Express that four amendments have been proposed — reserving 50 per cent seats for women, empowering the Jharkhand State Election Commission to appoint independent observers to oversee the polls, refering the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 in case there is any dispute over the ‘definition’and ‘meaning’ of any term incorporated in the JPA, and dereserving the post of deputy chairpersons of the three tier system as per the Central government’s Provisions of the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996 and the JPA. Officials said these amendments were necessary to hold the elections in accordance with the apex court’s judgment.
Sources in the department said the Cabinet will clear the amendements soon. State Panchayati Raj Minister Sudesh Mahato only confirmed that the polls will be held as per the SC directive. “Nothing will be done to tamper with the law,” he said. Secretary (PRD) Santosh Kumar Satapathy said though a schedule has not yet been chalked out, the government is committed to holding the elections before the monsoon.
In its judgment ,the SC Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice P Sathasivam and Justice J M Panchal had upheld the JPA and the PESA reserving all posts of chairpersons of panchayat bodies in scheduled areas of Jharkhand.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Jharkhand-revises-Panchayat-Raj-Act--gears-up-for-polls/573862