HC upholds block-level roster for SC, ST quota in gram panchayats

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that reservation rosters for SCs and STs in gram panchayats should be determined by the population proportion of these communities within a block, rather than at the district level.

The decision by the Division Bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Sudeepti Sharma is significant as it is aligned with amendments made to the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, and the associated 1994 Rules.

The Bench observed that Section 12(1) of the Act initially required the proportion of SC and ST quota to be calculated at the district level. However, Rule 3(1) was amended to refer specifically to the block as the basis for creating and rotating reservation rosters.

The court asserted that this adjustment was aimed at achieving a more precise representation for the SC and ST populations within various panchayat constituencies. The Bench was of the view that a shift from the district to block-level reference was intended to decentralise the reservation system and promote equitable representation. The court reasoned that the reservation roster at the block level was aligned more closely with the constitutional intent to enhance local representation.

Article 243-D stipulates that the reservation framework should reflect the proportion of SC and ST population within the relevant panchayat area.

The Article did not specify “district” as the standard unit for this calculation. This omission, the Bench pointed out, supported a decentralised approach that reflected demographic realities at the most appropriate level—the block.