UP govt moves SC against Allahabad HC order on OBC reservation in urban local body polls

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order quashing its draft notification on the urban local body elections and directing the state to hold the polls without reservation for the Other Backward Classes.

The state government, in its appeal against the December 27 order, has said that the high court cannot quash the December 5 draft notification which had provided reservation of seats in the urban body polls for the OBC – apart from those for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

The appeal, filed through advocate on record Ruchira Goel for the state, said Other Backward Classes are the constitutionally protected section and the high court erred in quashing the draft notification.

The Lucknow bench of the high court had ordered that the state government should notify the polls “immediately” as the term of several municipalities would end by January 31.