Assembly seat issue to come up in HC today

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 4

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made clear its intent to examine whether a petition challenging reservation of a legislative seat is maintainable before it. Justice Rajan Gupta of the High Court has fixed the matter for September 5 to consider “justiciability” of the issue.

Justiciability refers to limits on legal issues over which a court can exercise authority. The issue was brought before Justice Gupta’s Bench after a petition challenging reservation of Jhajjar for the Scheduled Caste category was placed before it.

In his petition, Bijender Singh had questioned reservation of the seat on the grounds that it was against Section 8(A&B) of the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1976.

His counsel had taken the plea that Jats and Yadavs were the dominant castes in the constituency and as such, the seat was required to be de-reserved.