Supreme Court scoffs at educational cutoffs for contesting Haryana panchayat elections

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday scoffed at a Haryana government rule that set minimum educational criteria for those intending to contest the panchayat elections scheduled on October 4 and wondered why the Modi government was not bringing in such a progressive law for MPs and MLAs, too.

The BJP government in Haryana had on September 8 brought in a rule that made matriculation the minimum qualification for general candidates and middle class for Dalits contesting the polls. Some candidates who were made ineligible to contest the elections challenged the change. The top court had stayed the rule on Thursday. The state government has since appealed against the stay.

Appearing for the Haryana government, Attorney General for India Mukul Rohatgi insisted that the rule was a progressive one and should be welcomed as it had come after 65 years. The bench comprising Justices Jasti Chelameswar and Abhay Manohar Sapre took a dim view of his stand. "If it’s such a progressive piece of legislation, why can’t Parliament enact such a law for MPs and MLAs?" Justice Chelameswar wondered.