Haryana government likely to fix 12th standard as education bar civic polls

CHANDIGARH: After fixing minimum educational qualification of class X for candidates contesting panchayat polls, Haryana now wants to make class XII mandatory for aspirants to urban local body elections.

The Supreme Court on December 10 had upheld Haryana's earlier decision on panchayat polls, saying illiterates can be barred from contesting.

The Haryana advocate general's office has suggested that qualification for people contesting various municipal committees, councils and corporations could be fixed as class XII. He also confirmed that after approval from the cabinet, an ordinance to amend the Municipal Co rporation Election Rules 1994 and Municipal Election Rules 1978 would be promulgated. B R Mahajan, the AG, told TOI he had advised the government to fix class XII as qualifi cation for municipal corporations and class X for municipal committees in small towns. “I gave my suggestions last week and now the CM would take the final call,“ he said.

Once implemented, Haryana will be the second state in the country after Rajasthan to have mandatory educational qualification for councillors elected for urban local bodies. Haryana has nine municipal corporations -Faridabad, Gurgaon, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Hisar, Panchkula, Yamunanagar and Ambala -19 municipal councils and 50 municipal committees in semi-urban areas.

Elections to 42 of the total 78 urban bodies will be held after the panchayat polls to be held on January 10, 17 and 24.

No child after 2 girls, Rs 1 as dowry: Khap

No third child after birth of two daughters and only Re 1 to be taken from the girl's family by the groom were among a host of rulings given out by a khap panchayat in Jind to discourage practices of female feticide and dowry. The khap also capped the number of members to be part of the bridegroom's wedding procession at 21.