IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH. C.W.P. No. 16611 of 2008 DATE OF DECISION : 18.09.2008 Harbans Kaur .... PETITIONER Versus State of Punjab and others ..... RESPONDENTS CORAM :- HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SATISH KUMAR MITTAL HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JASWANT SINGH Present: Mr. Balbir Singh and Mr. G.S. Rattu, Advocates, for the petitioner. * * * SATISH KUMAR MITTAL , J. ( Oral ) The petitioner has filed this petition under Article 226/227 of the Constitution of India for setting aside the election of respondent No.6 as Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Village Ramgarh, Tehsil Phillaur, District Jalandhar, in the meeting held on 21.7.2008. Case of the petitioner is that the office of Sarpanch of the aforesaid Gram Panchayat is reserved for the category of women and the petitioner being elected as Panch from the seat reserved for the category of women is the only eligible candidate for election of the office of Sarpanch. Therefore, respondent No.6, who though a woman but was elected as Panch against the post of General category, has been illegally declared elected as Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat, which is reserved for the category of CWP No. 16611 of 2008 -2- women. We do not find any substance in the contention of the petitioner. This controversy has already been decided by this Court in CWP No. 13738 of 2008, titled as Sukhjit Kaur versus State of Punjab and others, decided on 5.8.2008, wherein it has been held that any woman, whether elected from the reserved category of Scheduled Caste (women) or a General category or from the reserved category of women is fully eligible to contest the election of the office of Sarpanch, which is reserved for the category of women. Accordingly, in view of the decision of this Court in the aforesaid CWP No. 13738 of 2008, there is no merit in this petition and the same is, hereby, dismissed. ( SATISH KUMAR MITTAL ) JUDGE September 18, 2008 ( JASWANT SINGH ) ndj JUDGE