Decision to increase members in municipal corporations, councils challenged

Aurangabad, Dec 6:

Aurangabad division bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Sanjay Gangapurwala and Justice S G Dighe ordered to issue notices to the respondents following a petition challenging the state government’s order to increase the number of corporators in the municipal corporations and councils in the state. The next hearing will be held on January 12.

Authorized statistics of the population census of 2021 are not available due to Covid crisis. The urban population has increased considerably. Hence, the state government to give representation to the increased population on November 2, 2021, issued a notification to make provisions in the municipal corporation act to increase the number of corporators in municipal corporations and municipal councils in the state, except Mumbai municipal corporation.

Petitioner Suhas Dashrathe in the petition mentioned that the government order is unconstitutional and requested to cancel it.The petitioner raised the issues like that there was delay in presenting the census even before and then the elections were held according to the available statistics. There is a clear provision in the Municipal Act that if the statistics of the new census are not available then the statistics of the previous census should be considered. Thus, the intention of the government notification is different, the petitioner mentioned in his petition.

Adv Devdutta Palodkar appeared for the petitioner, Adv Sujit Karlekar for the state government, Adv Ajit Kadethankar for the state election commission and Adv Ajay Talhar for the census commissioner.