Source: https://realitycheck.wordpress.com/k-krishna-murthy-vs-union-of-india-quota-in-local-bodies/
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 14:20:24+00:00

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backward classes and those which contemplate the reservation of chairperson positions in the elected local self-government institutions. These provisions have been challenged as being violative of principles such as equality and democracy, which are considered to be part of the `basic structure’ doctrine.
of `Gram Panchayats’ (for each village, or group of small villages), `Panchayat Samitis’ (at the block level) and the `Zilla Parishads’ (at the District level). For urban areas, Part IX-A prescribed the constitution of `Nagar Panchayats’ (for areas in transition from a rural area to an urban area), `Municipal Councils’ (for smaller urban areas) and `Municipal Corporations’ (for a larger urban area).
3. To better appreciate the legislative intent, it would be instructive to refer to the following extract from the Statement of Objects and Reasons for the 73rd Amendment: &quot;1. Though the Panchayati Raj Institutions have been in existence for a long time, it has been observed that these institutions have not been able to acquire the status and dignity of viable and responsive people’s bodies due to a number of reasons including absence of regular elections, prolonged supersessions, insufficient representation of weaker sections like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women, inadequate devolution of powers and lack of financial resources.
endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. In the light of the experience in the last forty years and in view of the short-comings which have been observed, it is considered that there is an imperative need to enshrine in the Constitution certain basic and essential features of Panchayati Raj Institutions to impart certainty, continuity and strength to them.
&quot;1. In many States, local bodies have become weak and ineffective on account of a variety of reasons, including the failure to hold regular elections, prolonged supersessions and inadequate devolution of powers and functions. As a result, Urban Local Bodies are not able to perform effectively as vibrant democratic units of self-government.
(5) The reservation of seats under clauses (1) and (2) and the reservation of office of Chairpersons (other than the reservation for women) under clause (4) shall cease to have effect on the expiration of the period specified in Article 334.
Similarly, the composition of Municipalities is guided by the reservation policy contemplated in Article 243-T: 243-T. Reservation of seats. – (1) Seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every Municipality and the number of seats so reserved shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that Municipality as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the Municipal area or of the Scheduled Tribes in the Municipal area bears to the total population of that area and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a Municipality. (2) Not less than one-third of the total number of seats reserved under clause (1) shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes.
(3) Not less than one-third (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Municipality shall be reserved for women and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a Municipality. (4) The offices of Chairpersons in the Municipalities shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and women in such manner as the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide.
5. The overarching scheme of Article 243-D and 243-T is to ensure the fair representation of social diversity in the composition of elected local bodies so as to contribute to the empowerment of the traditionally weaker sections in society. The preferred means for pursuing this policy is the reservation of seats and chairperson positions in favour of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), women and backward class candidates.
of panchayats, the first proviso to Article 243-D(4) states that the aggregate number of chairperson positions reserved in favour of SC and ST candidates in an entire state should be based on the proportion between the population belonging to these categories and the total population. With all the chairperson positions at each level of the panchayats in an entire State as the frame of reference, the second proviso to Article 243-D(4) states that one-third of these offices should be reserved for women. The third proviso to Article 243-D(4) lays down that the number of chairperson positions reserved under the said clause would be allotted by rotation to different panchayats in each tier. This rotational policy is a safeguard against the possibility of a particular office being reserved in perpetuity. It is pertinent to note that unlike the reservation policy for panchayats, there are no comparable provisos to Article 243-T(4) for guiding the reservation of chairperson positions in Municipalities. This is a notable distinction between the otherwise analogous schemes prescribed in Article 243-D and Article 243-T.
7It is also pertinent to take note of Article 243-D(5) and Article 243-T(5), both of which provide that the reservation of seats and chairperson positions in favour of SC and ST categories would operate for the period contemplated under Article 334. It must be stressed here that there is no such time-limit for the reservations made in favour of women, implying that they will operate in perpetuity.
6. In light of the submissions that have been paraphrased in the subsequent paragraphs, the contentious issues in this case can be framed in the following manner: (i). Whether Article 243-D(6) and Article 243-T(6) are constitutionally valid since they enable reservations in favour of backward classes for the purpose of occupying seats and chairperson positions in Panchayats and Municipalities respectively?
(ii). Whether Article 243-D(4) and Article 243-T(4) are constitutionally valid since they enable the reservation of chairperson positions in Panchayats and Municipalities respectively?
challenged in conjunction with some provisions of the Karnataka Panchayati Raj Act, 1993 which provided for the reservation of seats and chairperson posts in favour of SCs, STs, women and backward classes. The impugned sections of that statute reserved 15% of the seats in Panchayats in favour of SCs, 3% in favour of STs, 33% in favour of women and 33% in favour of other backward classes [Section 5 for Gram Panchayats, Section 123 for Taluk Panchayats and Section 162 for Zilla Panchayats]. Chairperson positions in Panchayats were reserved in a similar proportion, with the entire pool of chairperson posts in the State as the frame of reference [Section 44 for Gram Panchayats, Section 138 for Taluk Panchayats and Section 177 for Zilla Panchayats]. Subsequently, the scope of the challenge was enlarged to question the reservation of seats and chairperson posts in favour of women and backward classes under the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 [Sections 11, 14(2)(A) and 352(5) of the said Act] and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976 [Section 7 and 10 of the said Act].
chairperson posts in favour of backward classes, without any guidance on how to identify these beneficiaries and the quantum of reservations.
7Secondly, it was argued that the reservation of chairperson posts in the manner contemplated under Art. 243-D(4) and 243-T(4) is unconstitutional, irrespective of whether these reservations are implemented on a rotational basis and irrespective of whether the beneficiaries are SCs, STs and women. The objection was directed against the very principle of reserving chairperson posts in elected local bodies.
Bharati decision [(1973) 4 SCC 425] are not immune from judicial review. Even though there is some uncertainty as to whether constitutional amendments can be scrutinized with respect to the fundamental rights enumerated in Part III, there is no obstruction to their scrutiny on the basis of principles such as equality, democracy and fraternity, since all of them find a place in the Preamble to our Constitution. Since the petitioner has given up the challenge against the reservation of seats in favour of women, it will not be necessary to paraphrase the submissions related to that aspect.
even if they are assumed to be backward in the socio-economic sense, there was ample evidence that they were already well represented in the political space. In fact, the findings of the Chinappa Reddy Commission Report (1990) showed that a majority of the Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) elected from Karnataka belonged to the OBC category. In such a scenario, there was no intelligible criterion to identify OBCs for preferential treatment by way of reservations. An analogy was drawn with reservations for government jobs under Article 16(4), which presupposes backwardness as well as the inadequate representation of the beneficiary group.
the legislature, it was argued that economic backwardness should not be conflated with political backwardness. This is so because in the electoral arena, a candidate from a poorer background is not necessarily at a disadvantage when competing with candidates from relatively richer backgrounds.
recommendations for reservations in favour of backward classes, as contemplated under Article 340 of the Constitution. It was urged that since the framers had not explicitly provided for OBC reservations in 1950, it was untenable to introduce them by way of constitutional amendments in 1993.
beneficiaries and even when such posts are reserved by way of rotation. This argument was buttressed with references to past decisions which have struck down the reservations of single posts in the context of public employment [See: Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research V. K.L. Narasimhan, (1997) 6 SCC 283]. It was further argued that the chairperson positions in the Panchayats and Municipalities were executive offices and reserving them would set a dangerous precedent that could ultimately lead to the reservation of executive offices at higher levels of government. It was urged those who occupy the reserved chairperson posts are more likely to cater to the narrow interests of their own groups rather than working for the welfare of the entire local community.
unreserved categories. In particular, the reservation of seats and chairperson positions curtailed the right to vote, the right to sponsor candidates of one’s choice and the right to contest elections among other aspects. It was contended that such restrictions were in conflict with the principle of `universal adult franchise’ (under Art. 326) which also entails that as far as possible, there should be parity in the weightage given to the votes cast by each individual. In this sense, reservations tend to distort the electoral process by giving more weightage to the voters and candidates from the beneficiary groups as opposed to those from the general category. With regard to reservations of chairperson posts, the petitioners have described a scenario wherein there may be very few persons from the reserved category in a particular village, thereby forcing voters to re-elect candidates belonging to the reserved categories despite dissatisfaction with their performance.
the long run, reservations designed on caste lines are likely to become instruments of political favouritism, thereby fanning resentment among the people. This would clearly come into conflict with the preambular objective of promoting a sense of fraternity among the citizens. In the petitioner’s submissions, it has been reasoned that the objective of empowering the weaker sections through political participation will be better served if a larger number of candidates belonging to these sections were nominated by political parties to stand for elections. Based on these submissions, the petitioners in W.P. (C) No. 356/1994 have prayed for the striking down of Articles 243-D(4) and 243-T(4) since they enable reservations of chairperson posts in elected local bodies, as well as Articles 243-D(6) and 243-T(6) which enable reservation of seats and chairperson posts in favour of backward classes. In relation to the same, the petitioners have also sought the invalidation of the impugned State legislations, in so far as they provide for excessive reservation in favour of backward classes and the reservation of chairperson posts.
17. In W.P. 517/2005, Shri Salman Khurshid, learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners has confined their contentions to two aspects. With regard to reservations in favour of OBCs in the State of Uttar Pradesh, it has been contended that the aggregate reservations should not exceed the upper ceiling of 50%. There is no challenge to the constitutional validity of Article 243-D(6) and Article 243-T(6) since they are merely enabling provisions. However, there is a concurrence between the petitioners in respect of their objections against the reservation of chairperson posts in elected local bodies. Hence the petitioners in W.P. (C) No. 517/2005 have also contested the constitutional validity of Article 243-D(4) and Article 243-T(4).
should not be allowed to become instruments of reverse discrimination which curtail the rights of persons who do not belong to the reserved categories.
objectives of local self-government since the overarching objective is to empower elected representatives who are sufficiently interested in the welfare of local communities and are accountable to them. Hence, the reservation of chairperson posts in panchayats can have the effect of unduly preventing persons belonging to the unreserved categories from contesting these elections. In support of their contentions, the petitioners have cited some High Court decisions which have struck down the reservation of chairperson posts in panchayats, namely those reported as Janardhan Paswan v. State of Bihar, AIR 1988 Pat 75 and Krishna Kumar Mishra v. State of Bihar, AIR 1996 Pat. 112.
available to them. However, such alternatives are not open to those who want to contest elections to become members of Panchayats in the areas where they reside. In the petitioners’ view, this is not only an unfair limitation on the rights of persons belonging to the general category, but also a measure that frustrates the pursuit of democratic decentralization.
held to be a statutory right and not a fundamental right and the same position has been consistently upheld in subsequent decisions. [See decision in N.P. Ponnuswamy v. Returning Officer, 1952 SCR 218, which has been followed in Jyoti Basu v. Debi Ghosal, (1982) 1 SCC 691, Mohan Lal Tripathi v. District Magistrate, Rai Bareilly, (1992) 4 SCC 80, Rama Kant Pandey v. Union of India, (1992) 2 SCC 438 and Kuldip Nayar v. Union of India, (2006) 7 SCC 1] This implies that the rights of political participation are not absolute in nature and are subject to statutory controls such as those provided in the Representation of People Act, 1951 among others. Undoubtedly, reservations in elected local bodies do place restrictions on the rights of political participation of persons who do not belong to the reserved categories. In this respect, the petitioners have contended that this Court should examine the reasonableness of such restrictions with regard to the objective of ensuring `free and fair elections’ [as observed in Indira Gandhi vs. Raj Narain, 1975 Supp SCC 1, at Para. 213] as well as the expanded understanding of Article 21 of the Constitution.
not adequate to understand the implications of the same. Hence, reservations in local self-government have been introduced to ensure the effective sharing of State power with the previously marginalized sections and also to empower them so as to enable a confrontation with the existing patterns of social discrimination.
the purpose of reservation policies in the context of education and employment, it was contended that Art. 243-D(6) and Art. 243-T(6) are merely enabling provisions and cannot be struck down as being in violation of the equality clause. It was reasoned that even though these provisions did not contain any guidance as to the quantum of reservations, it was eventually up to the State Governments to investigate the existence of backwardness and to confer reservation benefits accordingly. In that respect, this case presents a good opportunity to clarify whether the phrase `backward classes’ which appears in Art. 243-D(6) and Art. 243-T(6) is coextensive with the `Socially and Educationally Backward Classes’ (SEBCs) contemplated under Articles 15(4) and 15(5) or with the under-represented backward classes as contemplated under Art. 16(4).
the 50% upper ceiling has been breached.
traditionally weaker sections can rely on the support of mainstream political parties if they face undue pressures and prejudices. However, at the local level, the patterns of disempowerment, discrimination and disadvantage are far more pervasive and it will be difficult for weaker sections to gain an effective say in governance, but for the reservation of chairperson positions in Panchayats and Municipalities.
with the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) identified for the purpose of reservation enabled by Art. 15(4).
29. Apart from the above, the learned SG has cited numerous decisions of this Court which have examined and evolved the idea of `substantive equality’, which in turn is identified as part of the `basic structure’ doctrine. In this respect, the gist of the submission is that the reservation policy enabled by Arts. 243-D and 243-T will enhance the political participation of hitherto weaker sections, thereby contributing to their welfare in the long run. In response to the arguments about limitations on the political participation of persons who do not belong to the reserved categories, it was reiterated that the right to cast votes and to contest elections are not fundamental rights and hence they can be subjected to statutory controls.
as Vinayakrao Gangaramji Deshmukh v. P.C. Agrawal &amp; Ors, AIR 1999 Bom 142. That case involved a fact-situation where the chairperson position in a Panchayat was reserved in favour of a Scheduled Caste Woman. In the course of upholding this reservation, it was held as follows: &quot;… Now, after the seventy-third and seventy-fourth Constitutional amendments, the constitution of local bodies has been granted a constitutional protection and Article 243D mandates that a seat be reserved for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in every Panchayat and Sub-article (4) of the said Article 243D also directs that the offices of the Chairpersons in the panchayats at the village or any other level shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and women in such manner as the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide. Therefore, the reservation in the local bodies like the Village Panchayat is not governed by Article 16(4), which speaks about the reservation in the public employment, but a separate constitutional power which directs the reservation in such local bodies. …&quot; We are of course aware of the fact that some decisions in the past have examined the validity of reservations in local self-government by applying the principles evolved in relation to education and employment.
level-playing field is sought to be created by way of conferring reservation benefits.
backwardness in the social and economic sense can indeed be one of the criteria for conferring reservation benefits.
Based on this premise, it was contended that the reservations in favour of OBCs do not meet the tests of `reasonable classification’ and proportionality. Furthermore, apprehensions were voiced that the reservations in favour of OBCs have emerged as an instrument by which incumbent State governments can engage in `vote-bank’ politics by preferring one group over another. In light of these contentions, it is obvious that the petitioner’s real concern is with overbreadth in the State legislations.
backward classes for the purpose of reservations is an executive function and as per the mandate of Art. 340, dedicated commissions need to be appointed to conduct a rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of backwardness. It is also incumbent upon the executive to ensure that reservation policies are reviewed from time to time so as to guard against overbreadth. In respect of the objections against the Karnataka Panchayati Raj Act, 1993, all that we can refer to is the Chinnappa Reddy Commission Report (1990) which reflects the position as it existed twenty years ago. In the absence of updated empirical data, it is well nigh impossible for the Courts to decide whether the reservations in favour of OBC groups are proportionate are not. Similarly, in the case of the State of Uttar Pradesh, the claims about the extent of the OBC population are based on the 1991 census. Reluctant as we are to leave these questions open, it goes without saying that the petitioners are at liberty to raise specific challenges against the State legislations if they can point out flaws in the identification of backward classes with the help of updated empirical data.
36. As noted earlier, social and economic backwardness does not necessarily coincide with political backwardness. In this respect, the State Governments are well advised to reconfigure their reservation policies, wherein the beneficiaries under Art. 243-D(6) and 243-T(6) need not necessarily be coterminus with the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) [for the purpose of Art. 15(4)] or even the Backward classes that are under-represented in government jobs [for the purpose of Art. 16(4)]. It would be safe to say that not all of the groups which have been given reservation benefits in the domain of education and employment need reservations in the sphere of local self-government. This is because the barriers to political participation are not of the same character as barriers that limit access to education and employment. This calls for some fresh thinking and policy-making with regard to reservations in local self-government.
self-government, the rule of thumb is that of proportionate reservation. However, we must lay stress on the fact that the upper ceiling of 50% (quantitative limitation) with respect to vertical reservations in favour of SC/ST/OBCs should not be breached. On the question of breaching this upper ceiling, the arguments made by the petitioners were a little misconceived since they had accounted for vertical reservations in favour of SC/ST/OBCs as well as horizontal reservations in favour of women to assert that the 50% ceiling had been breached in some of the States. This was clearly a misunderstanding of the position since the horizontal reservations in favour of women are meant to intersect with the vertical reservations in favour of SC/ST/OBC, since one-third of the seats reserved for the latter categories are to be reserved for women belonging to the same. This means that seats earmarked for women belonging to the general category are not accounted for if one has to gauge whether the upper ceiling of 50% has been breached.
&quot;809. From the above discussion, the irresistible conclusion that follows is that the reservations contemplated in Clause (4) of Article 16 should not exceed 50%.
States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim have reservations that are far in excess of the 50% limit. However, such a position is the outcome of exceptional considerations in relation to these areas. Similarly, vertical reservations in excess of 50% are permissible in the composition of local self-government institutions located in the Fifth Schedule Areas. In the recent decision reported as Union of India v. Rakesh Kumar, (2010) 1 SCALE 281, this Court has explained why it may be necessary to provide reservations in favour of Scheduled Tribes that exceed 50% of the seats in panchayats located in Scheduled Areas. However, such exceptional considerations cannot be invoked when we are examining the quantum of reservations in favour of backward classes for the purpose of local bodies located in general areas. In such circumstances, the vertical reservations in favour of SC/ST/OBCs cannot exceed the upper limit of 50% when taken together. It is obvious that in order to adhere to this upper ceiling, some of the States may have to modify their legislations so as to reduce the quantum of the existing quotas in favour of OBCs.
reserved under this clause shall be allotted by rotation to different Panchayats at each level.
and Scheduled Tribes for the purpose of elections to the Lok Sabha and the respective Vidhan Sabhas. Before elections to these bodies, the Election Commission earmarks some electoral constituencies as those which are reserved for candidates belonging to the SC/ST categories. For the purpose of these reservations, the frame of reference is the total number of Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha seats in a State and not the single position of an MP or MLA respectively. Coming back to the context of Chairperson positions in Panchayats, it is therefore permissible to reserve a certain number of these offices in favour of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women, provided that the same is done in accordance with the provisos to Article 243-D(4).
can perhaps theorise that there was an assumption that the intended beneficiaries are in a relatively better-off position to overcome barriers to political participation in urban local bodies, when compared with rural local bodies.
the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha who can fall back on the support of mainstream political parties as well as media scrutiny as a safeguard against marginalization and unjust discrimination, elected representatives from the disadvantaged sections may have no such support-structures at the local level. In this respect, the Union Parliament thought it fit to enable reservations of Chairperson positions in order to ensure that not only are the weaker sections adequately represented in the domain of local self-government, but that they also get a chance to play leadership roles.
members to choose the chairpersons of Panchayats and Municipalities. As outlined earlier, it was contended that reserving these posts has the effect of limiting the choices available to voters and effectively discourages persons belonging to the general category from contesting these elections. Shri Salman Khurshid had made the point that unlike those who contest elections for the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha, it is not viable for those who seek membership in the local bodies to contest elections in territorial constituencies other than those in which they reside. This line of argumentation was adopted in support of the contention that the reservation of chairperson posts is violative of the principles of democracy.
Constitutional guidance on the eligibility of persons to contest elections. This includes grounds that render persons ineligible from contesting elections such as that of a person not being a citizen of India, a person being of unsound mind, insolvency and the holding of an `office of profit’ under the executive among others. It will suffice to say that there is no inherent right to contest elections since there are explicit legislative controls over the same.
48. In view of the above, our conclusions are:- (i) The nature and purpose of reservations in the context of local self-government is considerably different from that of higher education and public employment. In this sense, Articles 243-D and Article 243-T form a distinct and independent constitutional basis for affirmative action and the principles that have been evolved in relation to the reservation policies enabled by Articles 15(4) and 16(4) cannot be readily applied in the context of local self-government. Even when made, they need not be for a period corresponding to the period of reservation for purposes of Articles 15(4) and 16(4), but can be much shorter.
reservations should be raised by way of specific challenges against the State Legislations.
identification of SEBCs for the purpose of Art. 15(4) and that of backward classes for the purpose of Art. 16(4). (iv) The upper ceiling of 50% vertical reservations in favour of SC/ST/OBCs should not be breached in the context of local self-government. Exceptions can only be made in order to safeguard the interests of Scheduled Tribes in the matter of their representation in panchayats located in the Scheduled Areas.
(v) The reservation of chairperson posts in the manner contemplated by Article 243-D(4) and 243-T(4) is constitutionally valid. These chairperson posts cannot be equated with solitary posts in the context of public employment.
49. With these observations, the present set of writ petitions stands disposed of.

References: Art. 243
 V. 
 Art. 326
 v. 
 v. 
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 v. 
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 Art. 243
 Art. 243
 Art. 243
 Art. 243
 Art. 16
 Art. 15
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 Art. 340
 Art. 243
 Art. 15
 Art. 16
 v. 
 Art. 15
 Art. 16