IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH. C.W.P. No. 13690 of 2008 DATE OF DECISION : 04.09.2008 Smt. Rano .... PETITIONER Versus State of Punjab and others ..... RESPONDENTS CORAM :- HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SATISH KUMAR MITTAL HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JASWANT SINGH Present: Mr. Narinder Lucky, Advocate, for the petitioner. * * * SATISH KUMAR MITTAL , J. ( Oral ) The petitioner, who was elected as a Panch of Gram Panchayat Village Alipur, Post Office Mithapur, Tehsil and District Jalandhar, against the seat reserved for SC (women), has filed this petition under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India, for setting aside the election of respondent No.5 as Sarpanch of the aforesaid Gram Panchayat, on the ground that respondent No.5, though belonging to SC (Woman), but was elected as Panch against the seat reserved for SC, and therefore, she was not eligible to contest the election of the office of Sarpanch, which was reserved for SC (women). It is the further case of the petitioner that she was the only eligible candidate, because she was elected as Panch against the seat reserved for SC (women). CWP No. 13690 of 2008 -2- After hearing counsel for the petitioner, we do not find any merit in the contention of the petitioner. In our opinion, a S.C. woman, who has been elected either from the General Category or from the seat reserved for SC, is fully eligible to contest the election of the office of Sarpanch, which is reserved for SC (women). 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. Accordingly, in view of the aforesaid 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 04, 2008 ( JASWANT SINGH ) ndj JUDGE