Govt response sought on over 50% quota for women in Corpn polls

The Madras High Court on Thursday asked the State government to respond within two weeks on a plea challenging a notification reserving 105 seats for women in the Greater Chennai Corporation elections.

The first bench of Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice PD Audikesavalu made it clear that any decision taken by the government pertaining to the elections would be subject to the outcome of the writ petition.

The petition was moved by one R Parthiban of West Mambalam challenging the notification dated May 24, 2019, reserving 89 seats of the 200 Corporation wards for women in the general category.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel S Prabhakaran said the notification violated the Tamil Nadu Municipality (Amendment) Act, 2016, as per which, only 50 per cent of seats should be reserved for women. According to him, reserving more than 50 per cent of seats for women candidates was illegal and a clear discrimination against men.

Recording the submissions, the judges said 50 per cent reservation for women is correct but the petitioner could not claim 50 per cent of seats for men. “The remaining 50 per cent of seats have been reserved for general category in which women, too, can contest,” the bench observed.