ZP polls: Plea in high court seeks SC reservation

PANAJI: A few associations of the scheduled caste (SC) community have approached the high court of Bombay at Goa challenging the government’s decision to not reserve seats for SC, in the zilla panchayat election scheduled on March 18.
The petitioners—Rohidas Samaj, Mehtar Samaj, Akhil Goa Mang Hitvardan Mandal and Sakharam Korgaonkar—have jointly filed a petition seeking direction to the government to reserve seats for SC.
They said in North Goa their population is over 0.5% and they are entitled to reservation of one seat in the zilla panchayat elections. The petition came up for hearing on Thursday before a division bench.
The petition has been tagged with two others that have challenged holding zilla panchayat elections along party lines and also the fresh delimitation of constituencies. All three petitions will be heard on Monday.
The petition filed through advocate Mahesh Amonkar stated that since in North Goa the SC population is over 0.5% and in South Goa it is less than 0.5%, the director of panchayats should have reserved one seat in North Goa.