IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH. C.W.P. No. 13392 of 2008 DATE OF DECISION : 25.09.2008 Kuldeep Singh .... PETITIONER Versus The State of Punjab and others ..... RESPONDENTS CORAM :- HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SATISH KUMAR MITTAL HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JASWANT SINGH Present: Mr. S.S. Siao, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr. M.S. Sindhu, Addl. A.G., Punjab, for respondents No.1 to 5. Mr. J.S. Bhandohal, Advocate, for respondent No.6. * * * SATISH KUMAR MITTAL , J. ( Oral ) The petitioner has filed this petition for setting aside the clarification instructions dated 27.5.2008, issued by respondent No.1, and consequent election of respondent No.6 as Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat, Village Alampur, Tehsil and District Patiala. In this case, respondent No.6, who has been elected as a Panch of the aforesaid Gram Panchayat from the seat reserved for Women (General), has been declared elected as Sarpanch, which is reserved for the CWP No. 13392 of 2008 -2- Scheduled Caste category. It is the case of the petitioner that respondent No.6 being the Panch elected from the seat reserved for Women (General) was not eligible to contest the election of the office of Sarpanch, which is reserved for the Scheduled Caste category. This controversy has already been decided by this Court in CWP No. 14927 of 2008, titled as Paramjit Singh versus State of Punjab and others, decided on 26.8.2008, wherein it has been held that any Panch belonging to Scheduled Caste, whether elected from the reserved category of Scheduled Caste or from a seat reserved for Women (General) category is fully eligible to contest the election of the office of Sarpanch, which is reserved for the Scheduled Caste category. Accordingly, in view of the decision of this Court in the aforesaid CWP No. 14927 of 2008, there is no merit in this petition and the same is, hereby, dismissed. ( SATISH KUMAR MITTAL ) JUDGE September 25, 2008 ( JASWANT SINGH ) ndj JUDGE