HC quashes order, asks UP govt to take 2015 as base year for reserving seats

LUCKNOW : The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday ordered the state government to take 2015 as the base year for the reservation of seats in the panchayat elections after the government apprised the court that it had no objection to doing the same.

The court quashed the state government’s February 11 order that was issued for the reservation of seats for panchayat polls, taking 1995 as the base year.

A division bench of Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Manish Mathur also ordered the state government to complete the reservation process by March 27.

Advocate general Raghvendra Singh informed the court about the government’s stance, stating that it had no objection to 2015 as the base year.

“Learned Advocate General appearing for the opposite parties no. 1 and 2 (state govt, principal secretary Panchayati Raj) on the basis of written instructions, copy of which has been placed before the court and the same is taken on record, submits that the state government has no objection to implement the reservation and allotment of seats of constituencies in Panchayat elections taking 2015 as the base year,” said the court.

“It is submitted by the learned Advocate General that the entire exercise for provid

JODHPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Monday extended the interim protection from arrest to businessman Robert Vadra till April 5 in an alleged money laundering case related to a land scam in Bikaner.

An application by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was scheduled to be heard in the high court, where the ED has sought the custodial interrogation of Vadra.

A single bench of Justice Vijay Bishnoi directed the matter to be listed for final hearing on April 5 and granted Vadra and his mother interim protection from arrest till then. The ED has registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) in the alleged Bikaner land scam.

The probe is related to the purchase of 275 bigha land allegedly by the company in the Kolayat area of the border town of Bikaner.